Three scientists invent a youth serum, but they're forced to flee their lab as a group of mercenaries try to take it for the wealthy old man who hired them, capturing the head of the lab in the process.
Shirley Muldowney is determined to be a top-fuel drag racer, although no woman has ever raced them before. Despite the high risks of this kind of racing and the burden it places on her family life, she perseveres in her dream.
The film is set in the fictional Utah community of Santa Ynez, which is being terrorized by a mysterious black coupe that appears out of nowhere and begins running people down. After the car kills off the town's Sheriff, it becomes the job of Captain Wade Parent to stop the murderous driver.