"Fireball" Dave Owens is a California stock car racer who travels to South Carolina and defeats local champion Leander. He becomes involved in a moonshine smuggling ring orchestrated by Martha and Charlie Bigg. After facing IRS threats and a fatal accident, he teams up with Leander to uncover the truth, ultimately exposing Charlie and winning the final race before leaving with Martha.
Charlie turns against Dave through jealousy and an attempted murder.
Charlie is solely responsible for Joey's murder and also tries to kill Dave because he is jealous that Dave is sleeping with Martha.
Martha's attraction develops into the film's concluding romantic pairing.
Martha becomes captivated by Dave's racing abilities, and the ending states that Dave drives off into the sunset with Martha.
Jane's attraction to Dave complicates her relationship with Leander.
Jane is impressed by Dave after he defeats Leander, and the plot later states that Dave is sleeping with her.
They are competitive racing rivals whose rivalry drives several major racing events.
Dave defeats Leander in a race, and Leander continues seeking to beat him on the track by challenging him to a dangerous figure-eight race.
Explore the full interactive character relationship map of Fireball 500