He's very likable. Mike gets in the car and races. Cuts from at least 4 different events for that season are included - both defeats and victories. The producers weave in a secondary story, that of a mechanic who restores a 1964 roadster. In the first scene of the film, a tractor pulls this rusted heap of a vehicle out of a barn.
Chickens scurry and hay scatters.
This unprecedented exercise provided Mario Andretti and the production crew with a truly unique opportunity to record the racing experience from the driver's viewpoint. The same car was driven by Mario Andretti and Nigel Mansel in competition in the 1994 PPG CART World Series. While the engine output of competing CART cars is constrained by stringent rules, the camera car was not under similar restriction. Competing cars are equipped with a mandatory 'pop-off' valve which governs the maximum power engines can generate and helps keep race speeds within acceptable limits. The 'pop-off' valve on the camera car was deactivated, providing the machine with significant additional power.