AllMovie

The ill-fated Wallace Reid -- who would die of morphine addiction in 1923 -- was in top form in this Paramount action picture. Reid's team of director Frank Urson and screenwriter Byron Morgan gave him a clever vehicle, and his supporting cast, which included lovely Agnes Ayers and Paramount's scene-stealing character actor Theodore Roberts, was excellent. Pat MacMurran (Roberts), owner of the Patko auto firm, has been against racing ever since his driver, Jimmy Rodman (Lucien Littlefield), was seriously injured when Howdy Zeeker (Guy Oliver), driver for rival firm Ronado, smashed into his car on purpose. MacMurran allows his daughter, Virginia (Ayers), to become engaged to Ronado driver Dusty Rhoades (Reid) only when he promises never to race again. But on their wedding day, another Ronado driver, Tyler Hellis (Jack Richardson) entices Rhoades into a race and MacMurran calls off the ceremony. Rhoades and Virginia elope anyway, and her father follows in hot pursuit. Both men are arrested for speeding and Rhoades is really in the doghouse. The Ronado company tries to trick Rhoades into racing for them, but when he discovers the scheme, he takes an old Patko car and enters against them. Not only does he come out ahead of the other cars, he hands the wheel over to Rodman for the last lap so he can have the joy of defeating Zeeker. Because the Patko car wins the race, Patko gets a big South American deal and Rhoades is back in good with his father-in-law.