The wasteland was created when Largo Sludge's toxic waste plant exploded. Racer X heads out to the site and he sees new processing machinery materialize. Barnum sent the replacement machinery through a time portal. Dez and some of Barnum's fiercest mutants head back to the past to make sure that Racer X and Speed don't prevent the explosion. The street rally starts and a time portal opens.
Battle cars appear and disrupt the race.
Speed and the Mach Five come under attack. As Racer X is nosing about the toxic waste plant, Dez and some mutants materialize behind him and take him prisoner. From atop the World Trade Tower, a machine emits a force dome around the entire city of Fontana Central and overlays the environment of the future on the present. Pops takes on the battle cars with Mobile 5, but ends up getting captured with everyone except Chim Chim, who gets away. They are placed in a time transport where they will be taken to the future to work for Barnum.