01x07 - Race Against Myself

[bunniefuu]

Let's get it rocking, brother.

Get him! Get him right now!

No!

Let's go! I said let's go!

- What?
- I don't know.

9.43. I told you, Hannah.

That's the fastest that car has ever run.

- Oh my God.
- It was a good light he cut.

Way to go, Justin!

- What happened, son?
- I don't know.

- What happened?
- It just... Power just died.

- Shut off?
- Just shut off.

We was having electrical problems
or something earlier, so...

It just shut down.

Is Fro okay? You okay, brother?

I'm good. Just frustrated.

Pulled up to the beam, staged,

got on the transbrake,
and was ready to chop it down and k*ll it,

and the car just shut off.

And I saw him take off,
and I was, like, crushed at that moment.

I felt like I could've had a...

I had a fighting car and a chance to win,
and it just didn't happen.

That's what I'm talking about, brother.

- Okay.
- Thanks, Papa. Appreciate it.

- Wow.
- Very good. Very good.

My grandson, Justin,

he did a very good job today.

And seeing the Precious Vette
run on the track as good as it did

brings me back to the old days
when I used to drive it.

I'm very, very happy about it.

You just ran the quarter-mile
in 9.43 at 141 miles an hour.

I can't believe it.

That was the fastest that car has been
in a quarter-mile, so that's priceless.

It means everything to me

to continue on the legacy
my grandfather and my dad built.

Grandpa, he's a man of very little words.

And I saw him out of the corner of my eye,
and he was just like this.

I was like, "Oh my gosh!
He just gave me a thumbs up."

I've never had that happen before.

What happened to Fro in the other lane?

See, his electronics shut off.

- Car just died at the line.
- Oh, man.

It's awesome that I won,

but it is not how I would like to win.

- I'm sorry, man. What happened?
- It just died.

The car just died. Everything shut off.

- Would've been a good race, though.
- I know.

Sir, thank you for giving the opportunity.
Three generations, can't beat that.

I say,

why don't we get your car right,
and why don't we run it again?

Your grandfather is a class act.
You're a class act.

We would accept your challenge.

- Yeah. Let's do it again.
- We would definitely do it again.

- I'm coming for you next time.
- I know you are, dude.

It was unfortunate
for the Fitzgerald team,

but you know what?
When Fro's car shut down,

Monti didn't make one excuse.

He handed me the 20,000
that we had a side bet on

with no hesitation.

I appreciate that,

because the last time we raced,
Monti took the $20,000 purse,

even though he brought a car to the race
that he knew he wasn't supposed to.

So now, Monti knows
it's only fair that we take this money.

Thank you.

'Cause Justin won fair and square.

- Congratulations.
- Thank you, Monti, Fro.

As for the Mollicone family,

you could see the pride in Larry's eyes.

And I could just guarantee.

Justin's father, Rocky,
is in the heavens, jumping up and down,

grabbing people saying, "That is my boy."

I'm proud of you.

And for us, not only did we win $20,000,

but it's an honor
to have Justin and Precious Vette

as part of our racing family.

It's a dinosaur,
but it still gets the job done.

Yeah, it's a dinosaur,

but it's got a lot of muscle, great teeth,

and it can run like a bolt of lightning.

I'm telling you, this car
is less precious and more vicious.

You've reached
Maloof Racing Engines.

Please leave your name, number,
a brief description on why you're calling,

and we'll get back to you. Thank you.

Hey, Sammy.
Heard you smoked Carolla in his Porsche.

Mr. Maloof,
I got a big race coming up, and I'll...

Sammy! Eric said
you beat Paul Newman's cup car. For real?

Mr. Maloof,
saw your 2009 Challenger

outrun a supercharged Camaro.

I have the same Challenger.
Could you tune it up for a race?

It's been a good quarter
for the racing engines, for the builds.

It's been really good
and really profitable.

The good thing too
is we have a long line of people

that want you
to build some engines for them.

- Good to hear.
- Yeah.

My bride,
Jennifer, runs the office.

She does all the accounting.

And I trust she's gonna take our finances
and do what is right with them.

On the racing end of it,

it's a little bit of, uh, a mix.

I see we've won four out of six?

Yeah, well,
the only two losses were Sonya...

- Damn it!
- No, no!

...and Horace Corey.

Right.

You know the Adam Carolla race?

That $20,000, we donated that.

That makes it three wins

and three losses,
when it comes to the financial end of it.

Yeah. But, um...

- Yeah. That's a lot of money on the line.
- Yeah, it is.

But we're coming back.

Look, I got Luigi coming out of Vegas.

Is it a high-dollar bet?

It's definitely a big one.

It's a lot of money.

Wait, what is that?

- I don't know.
- Hold on, babe.

The heck is going on?

What the heck is he doing?

Oh my God, Luigi.

- Hey, wild man. How was the drive?
- Ready to whip some a*s.

Let me help you, grandpa.

Luigi's one of my buddies
out in Las Vegas,

who I've known
and raced with for many years.

He's a personality.

He laughs, he jokes,
but when he gets behind the wheel,

Luigi's no joke.

He's got some pretty fast cars,
and he's a really good street racer.

But a few months ago in Las Vegas,

he went head-to-head
with one of my best friends...

I love you, man.

...John Kitterman, in an eighth-mile race.

Unfortunately,

Luigi's Corvette could not keep up
with Kitterman's Nova,

and Luigi lost a lot of money.

Now he's asking me to help make odds even
between him and John Kitterman.

So let me get this straight.

- You're still carrying that from Vegas?
- Yes.

When Kitterman
kicked your butt in the car I built?

Correct. Now it's time.

I'ma whip his a*s.

John Kitterman came to Vegas,

and he made a name for himself
at the drag strip.

So basically,
he won a bunch of money beating my a*s.

So, the reason why I came out here,
because I'm coming to get that money.

I came out here to collect.

Does John know that you're here?

- I don't think so.
- Okay.

- How much money is involved?
- Fifty grand.

- Fifty grand?
- Yes, sir.

- Do I get involved in any of this?
- I'll tell you what.

Sammy, you're my friend.
I'll shake your hand and say thank you.

Get the heck out, you miser!

- I'll give you 25. It's all or nothing.
- All right, 25 grand.

You'll cover all the parts
for all the adjustments needed, right?

Yes.

Okay. This is the deal.

My car makes enough power,
but you know what?

This car is violent,
and I need to square this car up.

I wanna see it run from point A
to point B in a straight line.

Look, I'll prep that car
better than it's ever been before.

- We're gonna get you over there.
- Yes, absolutely.

Luigi knows
he has his work cut out for him,

because not only is John Kitterman
an excellent race car driver,

his car is straight as an arrow.
His car is a b*llet, man.

This I know, because we built it.

So for this race,
we're gonna compete against ourself,

and we're gonna beat
one of the baddest bracket cars

that's come out of the Maloof shop.

But because
I'm going up against my dear friend,

I'm gonna keep it real with Kitterman
and let him know about Luigi.

- Come on, brother.
- Good times.

John, I hear you got a race coming up
with your old buddy Lou.

I already beat that little.

But if he wants me again,
that's okay. I'll take care of him.

So, Luigi approached me

and wants me to work on his car.

So you're gonna tune his car
for our race?

Well, that's how come I'm calling you,
you know?

I wanted to ask
if you'd have a problem with it.

Listen,
it's another customer for you,

and, you know, I always back you 100%.

- You know that.
- I know.

Build him whatever he wants.

- He still gotta drive the thing.
- I know.

Look, I'm gonna do whatever
I possibly can to make that car go fast,

and I'm not gonna pull a punch with him.

I wouldn't expect anything less.

At least there'll be
some competition this time.

Yeah. Thank you, John,
for being so understanding.

- Absolutely. Love you, pal. Later.
- Thank you, John.

Working with this one,

I think our hands are gonna be
more fuller than what we think.

Oh, yeah.

First thing, Kitterman's is definitely
a whole lot lighter than Luigi's.

- Definitely.
- He's got a lot going on here.

A lot of engine.

A lot of carburetor.

That's plenty to get this job done.

But because we know
Kitterman's car so well,

it's gonna be easy
to find the weak points in Luigi's car.

Yeah.

The two cars are pretty close
when it comes to horsepower.

But Kitterman's car
definitely has a few more advantages

over Luigi's Corvette.

First, it's about 1,000 pounds lighter,

because it is a genuine race car,

and it lacks all the extra weight
of a street car like Luigi's.

Second, it's equipped with an air shifter,

which shifts the car
quickly and accurately,

and it's something Luigi's car lacks.

Finally, on Kitterman's car,

the suspension is perfectly aligned,
and the shocks are adjusted.

But from what Luigi's told me,

his suspension
definitely needs to be dialed in.

So basically, we're gonna have to counter
every advantage that Kitterman has

until Luigi has the upper hand.

So let's start checking everything
from front to back.

Hoses, plugs, distributor wires.

Anything that you can see
that needs improvement.

Luigi Calantoni will go up against
veteran racer John Kitterman

in an eighth-mile drag race.

But if Luigi's going to get back
at John for his loss in Vegas last year,

he'll have to shave a third
of a second off his eighth-mile time.

Then he can finish below Kitterman's
typical run time of 5.3 seconds.

And if Luigi wins,
he'll split the $50,000 purse with us.

Meaning that a victory in this race
is critical to our bottom line.

So, what do we need?

Seems like one
of these Zeron bolts is pretty loose here.

- That will throw the suspension off.
- And what else?

He doesn't have
any fire system or safety in here.

Not even a fire extinguisher.

Holy Toledo, Ohio.

See his wheelie bars?
They don't look right.

Oh, that wheel is a little bent.

Oh yeah. This whole bracket
right here, thing's kinda c*ck.

Okay.

That's pretty dangerous if he flies up

and goes either into Kitterman
or into the wall.

A lot of little stuff
needs to be done.

Now, Luigi, he was saying
something about the launch of the car.

The car didn't feel
like it was leaving right.

So, put your heads together
and comb it from the back to the front,

and trace the problem.

- Got it covered.
- Thank you.

As Hannah and the boys
begin setting up Luigi's Corvette,

I head out to meet my stunt team,

who's prepping for our next project.

A white-knuckle music video
for the Indie rocker Pete Yorn.

So the concept
for this music video

is, uh, an adorable premise.

You got a girl in her room,
playing with her Hot Wheel cars.

And she, uh, starts the choreography,
if you will, of the real world

that the girls will be driving in.

- They're the girl's vision?
- You're gonna be a vision too.

You're in a semitruck, chasing them.
They're trying to get away from you.

The sequence will start
with a big rig driven by my dad

chasing two hot rods
driven by Meghan and me.

After some crazy driving,

the chase will end
when the rig slams into a parked car,

sending it flipping right over our cars
and crashing into the ground in flames.

You guys ready to get to work?

- Yeah.
- Get on 'em and go.

One of the most
challenging aspects of this stunt

is that it involves
a high-speed chase with a big rig.

Anytime you bring
such a large vehicle into the mix,

you're upping the risk factor of the stunt

and making the choreography
a lot more complicated.

So it's key that my dad practices
every hairpin turn in that big rig.

Just follow that apex
and make a nice, big sweeping left.

Now, we won't be able
to wear any safety gear,

'cause we will be featured on camera,

so this stunt's a bit more dangerous
if something goes wrong.

That's very good.

But the most dangerous part of this stunt

is the elements
that are out of our control.

We're gonna blow a car up.
Big fireball and up and through the air.

The car's gonna fly right over your cars.

This entire mechanism
in two-tenths of a second is gonna flap.

And when it goes, that car is gone.

Wow.

The finale of the music video
is when the chase ends

with my dad's big rig
crashing into a parked car,

which sends the car
flying through the air,

directly over mine and Meghan's cars
as we drive underneath it.

So it's critical
that we test the car flipper

to make sure
that it releases the car quickly

and flips the car at a safe distance away.

Up and a little twist into the trash can.

All right. And in three, two, one.

Hit it!

Gosh.

That was insane.

You have a bit of a hook shot
to the right.

It crossed
the distance it needed to.

Better longer than shorter.

Totally. The higher, the better.
Gets it out of their way.

- You can come underneath it real safely.
- Yeah.

So now we know the flipper works,

we could start practicing
on location soon, right?

Absolutely.

- Nice. All right.
- So you guys ready to clean this up?

- Yeah.
- Darn right.

- All right, man. Great job.
- Yeah, good job.

Definitely
a lot going on under here.

We really should just once-over
the spindles, A-arms, brakes, everything.

Just to make sure.

If one thing's loose,
anything could be loose.

Yeah.

Luigi had mentioned

he was having an issue
off the line with his car.

In a five-second eighth-mile drag race,

it's almost impossible
to recover from a bad start.

So Luigi has to leave the line perfectly.

Could be a bunch of things preventing
Luigi from getting a perfect start.

The rear shocks are misaligned,

the transbrake isn't working properly,

the rear end is not squared up.

So, the first thing to do
is get it up on a rack

and zero in on the faulty parts.

How about the driveshaft?
Does it look like it's in enough?

Yeah, that looks
like it where it's been set.

- See that?
- What do you see?

I see a very crimped brake line.

- That is not good one bit.
- Yeah.

That's not a good sign. That could be
a problem with the transbrake.

Well...

It's right here.

Does somebody wanna jump up there
and check this transbrake?

Sure.

A transbrake is a device

that locks the transmission
at the starting line,

and it's controlled
by a button on the steering wheel.

When the driver lets go of the button,

the transmission engages
and launches the car forward.

However, if the transbrake is faulty,

there will be a delay
when the Luigi releases the button,

and that slight delay
could cost him the race.

Test it.

Nothing down here.

The light's coming on up here,

so it must just not be engaging
in the trans.

Put it into first
and hit the button.

I wanna see if the transbrake is working.

Bring it down into first.

Reverse.

Huh. Go back into first.

Not moving all the way.

Yeah, looks like
it's not going back all the way.

I wonder if this linkage
isn't adjusted correctly.

The linkage is what makes sure

the transmission shifts
into the proper gear.

And we found out
the linkage was not adjusted right.

So it wasn't going
all the way into first gear.

Which, in return,
causes the transbrake not to be engaged.

What we need to do
is just pull this cotter pin

and readjust this linkage,
put it all the way back into first

so that when he puts it in first up there,
it's first in the transmission.

- Okay?
- All right.

Okay.

This part's done.

Bring it down into first.

Yep.

Feels like it goes all the way.

Go to second.

First.

That's all the way in first?

- Yes, it is.
- All the way down here.

- Nice.
- Let's test the transbrake.

Power's on. Go ahead.

Okay. That's working down here too.

- Cool.
- I think it's good.

Luigi's transbrake
should be back in business.

That means he should have no delay
in launching his car off the line.

- Let's start looking at the interior.
- All right.

Look at that.

We got a nice,
brand-new air shifter system.

So why does Luigi
really need an air shifter?

It's more consistent.

What it does is it takes out
the human error in shifting the car.

If you set to shift at 7,500 RPM,

that air shifter is gonna shift the car
at 7,500 RPM every single time.

John Kitterman
has an air shifter in his car,

so adding an air shifter to Luigi's car

is going to even out
the playing field, car-wise.

- Fancy.
- Yeah. Faster.

Yo, Josh.

Looks like Luigi
left the safety collar here.

- Here. So you don't break your neck.
- So you don't break your neck?

Know what it looks like?
When they wrote the Constitution,

those things
they used to wear in the old times?

The European guys with, like, the...

- With the big things that go around?
- Yes. Those things.

Wasn't that during the Constitution?

You're thinking of,
like, William Shakespeare.

"To be, or not to be."
I don't know the rest.

"That's the question."
It's, like, the last part.

That's the last part?

You sure? That doesn't sound right to me.

What?
Whoa, pause. Pause.

- You're kidding.
- You're making me nervous.

Joshua,
come help me with the wheelie bars.

Oh God.

- Yeah.
- You were right on. This is bent.

And it's bent a lot.

What we need to do
is we're gonna heat this, okay?

And we're gonna manipulate this
a little bit.

We did a lot of work on Luigi's car

to make sure it launches perfectly
and goes straight as an arrow.

But all of that could come undone

if the wheelie bars are not set properly.

Wheelie bars keep the car
from flipping over at the launch,

tracks the car straight,
and softens the landing for us drivers.

So straightening out
that wheelie bar is crucial.

- That looks a lot better.
- A lot better?

I really can't wait
to see this thing go down the track.

What's cracking, brothers?

How are you, my friend?

I'm really looking forward
to get some test time with Luigi today.

Luigi is...

quick wit, jokester...

...but when Luigi gets behind the wheel,

his composure changes.

He's got that switch
that he can switch off,

goes into a race mode,
and that's the Luigi I need today.

- Appreciate it, Sammy. It's beautiful.
- Oh, man.

Yeah. We did a lot to your car.

It took some major upgrades
to transform Luigi's Corvette

into a powerful beast

that can go toe-to-toe
with the Nova we built for Kitterman.

We repaired the transbrake
and optimized the suspension

so this car bursts out of the gate

and goes down the track
straight as an arrow.

We fitted the car
with a new fire system to keep Luigi safe.

We reworked the wheelie bar
so the car launches smoothly.

And finally, we installed an air shifter

that will help Luigi shift
at the perfect RPM.

All these changes
should help close the gap

between Luigi's 'Vette
and Kitterman's Nova

and make this a really tight race.

Let's get a couple of hits
to make sure I can get down this track.

'Cause I've never been here before.

Well, you're gonna love
this track. Let's go.

Luigi is a heck of a racer,

and he's got tons of experience,
but it's all on the street.

On the street, you leave the line
with a flag wave or an arm drop.

There's not really
a whole lot of precision there.

But on a racetrack,
you have a Christmas tree,

and that Christmas tree
is timed perfectly.

You have four-tenths
of a second to leave that line.

Plus the drag strip
is completely different than the street.

It's clean. It's prepped.

And they got a special glue
that we all call "sticky."

So the slicks hook up,

and that way,
you can safely reach much higher speeds

than you could on the street.

So my focus today
is to help him get used to this track,

and more importantly,

help him get used
to the upgrades on his car.

So, listen.

I know Kitterman's car
runs 5.30s in an eighth-mile,

so our goal is to go below that.

Once you're set and ready to go,

and all four staging lights are lit,

you have four-tenths
of a second before the flash.

All right, cool. Let's do it.

Looked like it shook.

Luigi, what happened?

It went to the right.

When I let go of the brake,
it just went to the right.

So, listen.

This car's gonna stick to the prep track
way different than the street.

You'll feel a whole lot more power
on the track than you did on the street.

So you're gonna have to focus
on controlling the car

and keeping it straight.

I appreciate it. I love you.

- Just do it for me.
- I'll listen to you this time.

5.26. Perfect!

That's how you put him in the groove.

Car went straight, hooked up,

went straight as an arrow.

He does that on race day,
we'll come home with the stripe.

John Kitterman
is a track racer, yes. I'm not.

Who cares? Are you kidding me?

Put me behind a pro tree. I'm k*lling 'em.

They don't call me
Red-Light Louie for nothing.

That's what I'm talking about.

Luigi, almost 140 miles an hour
in the eighth.

Yeah, that's good.

But you know what?

I wanna go faster.

You will.

Get the stripe
from Kitterman, and I'll be happy.

All right, my friend.

Sammy!

- My brother, how are you?
- How you doing, baby?

- Good to see you.
- How's it running?

Car is good.

Today is sort of a different day,
because I'm competing against myself.

John Kitterman's car is like my baby too,
because I'm the one who built it.

But I'm not racing with John right now.
We're racing against John.

I need to ask you a favor, though.

I'm a little short on crew.

- Can I borrow one of the kids?
- Yeah.

Hannah!

- John.
- Need a little help this weekend.

- Why you gotta say "little" help?
- Well, 'cause you're little.

So, today,
you're not gonna be my friend.

Well, that's all right.
I have the best part of Maloof Racing.

At the end of the day,

my concern is Luigi.

Luigi came out here knowing
that I'm not gonna pull a punch.

We turned Luigi's car into such a beast,

I'm confident
that it's as good or even better

than the hot rod we built for Kitterman.

It needs to be, because there's
a lot of money on the line.

Fifty thousand dollars.

- That's good.
- Your hands are gonna be full with Luigi.

We'll see about that.

You know what?
Sammy's brilliant at what he does.

Luigi's got Sammy in his corner.

Man, it's gonna be tough,

but if the car does its job,
and I do my job,

then I have no problem winning.

Fifty grand richer.

I can finally pay Sammy's bill.

Sammy did an amazing job.
He did a great job.

Now it's up to me
and how I perform in my car, you know?

And I'm winning. Period.

Okay. The stakes are set.

One race, eighth-mile, $50,000.

- Done.
- Let's do it.

- Let's go rock and roll.
- Good luck, John.

- Good luck. Be safe.
- Be safe.

You ready? Let's light 'em up.

Luigi, this one is yours, babe.

It's real close.

Come on, Luigi. Stay straight.

We got him. We got him.

Yes! We got it.

That's what I'm talking about! Man!

Luigi, you did it, man.

Attaboy. The Italian Stallion got it done.

Oh, without a doubt.

That was an adrenaline rush.

But today was not easy for me,
and that is no bullshit.

John Kitterman ain't no slouch.
He was great on the light.

But Sammy did a really good job.

The Corvette ran great.
The car went straight.

At the end of the day, I got him covered.

And I'm very happy.

That was a thrill, for sure.

Here.

What's that?
The money? Oh my goodness!

A bet's a bet.

Overall, car went straight
and... and felt good,

but, I don't know, that's drag racing.

At the end of the day, I knew Sammy
was gonna build him an absolute monster,

and it looks like
that's exactly what happened.

But you know what? This ain't over, Luigi.

Vegas, LA, doesn't matter.
I'm coming for ya.

- Gotta give me a chance to get it back.
- Absolutely.

Next time. Next time.

Man, oh, man.

It was a tough one, but we pulled it off.

Louie won today, fair and square.

But I'll tell you something.
John Kitterman made him earn it.

My kids and I worked
on both of these cars,

and to see
those two lightning bolts together,

it was great.

And of course, I'm thrilled
that the one we worked on last...

came in first.

Plus we just bagged 25 grand
for a week's work.

So yeah. Everything
was a win-win for us today.

Come on. Good night, guys.
It's time for me to drive home.

Dude, when you get back to Vegas,
try not to blow it all in one night.

You know, Hannah,
you're not gonna believe this one.

I get a text message from Sonya.

On her social media,
James is mouthing off to everybody.

Now he's telling everybody
he blew the Maloof car away.

A few weeks ago,

a client of ours, Sonya, lost a tough race

against a guy out of Tennessee.

A racer named James McCaslin.

Go!

And ever since then,

he's been bad-mouthing Sonya
and the car we built.

- There you go.
- Oh yeah.

It's not good. He just running
our name through the mud.

Yeah. He talks a lot.

A little too much.

I mean, if James thinks
he can beat everybody in the Maloof camp,

he should race a Maloof.

If he wants a Maloof, I'll take him on.

Hannah, I think that's a great idea.

I get that trash-talking
is a part of the game for some people,

but if James thinks that he can go on
bad-mouthing our family name

and the shop without any consequences,

he's got another thing coming.

I'll be ready.

I'll be on my game.

Any time, any place.

- You put that boy on the trailer.
- Send him back to Tennessee.

Okay, everybody.
Let's clear the stream.

We're gonna make a couple of laps
and time at all out.

Today is our one
and only rehearsal on the set

where we're sh**ting
the Pete Yorn music video.

Start the water. Start the water.

There is a lot going on
in this crazy chase sequence.

We have muscle cars,
we have explosions, we have drifting,

we have a car flipping over us,
and we're driving under it.

So we really have
to be on top of our game today,

because one mistimed move
could cause a major accident.

- Nervous?
- A little. Yeah.

Everybody, drive hard.
Angry driving. Driving hard. Here we go.

And in three, two, one. Action, girls.

Go, go, go, go, go.

Sammy, go.

Little bit more speed.

Go, Kaitlyn, go.

Nice.

Go, Meghan, go.

Go, go, go, go, go.

Watch out. You're way outside.

We got spun.

Stop right here.

Oh my God!

Kutch, is Meghan okay?

Hold up. Hold on.

Kutcher, talk to me.
Tell me she's okay.