'The Last Race' review: A gripping story of age, legacy, and the death of an American tradition
Stock Car racing is as quintessentially a part of American history as is the Prohibition, and in fact it was during that unusually dry spell that the seeds of Stock Car racing were sewn. Moonshine runners sped across state lines in otherwise normal looking cars hiding modified beasts under their bonnets and nooks and crannies that only the most motivated law enforcer would seek out.
The runs would eventually morph into informal competitions and then in 1948 into an American pastime governed by one of the country’s most powerful sporting bodies: NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). But these days NASCAR races are a far cry from those envisioned by the hobbyists, petrolheads, and weekend warriors that formed the base of Stock Car racing. For a while race tracks sprung up across the country, hosting amateur and professional races over the weekend. The tracks became epicentres of community, and around them grew bonds that transcended pistons and crankshafts. Dreams were realized and crushed, fists flew, and cars crashed and burned, but in the end it was all part of the thrill and pomp of Stock Car racing.