"AMERICAN GRAFFITI" Screenplay by George Lucas Gloria Katz ...

yourself, man.
TERRY
Everybody ready?
John settles back in the driver's seat and positions his
hand on the gear-shift, which we see is wrapped with rags
because of the missing knob.
Both drivers start revvin' their engines; the tension builds.
Terry looks nervous, the engines start to scream and Terry,
his hands shaking on the flashlight, manages to flash it on.
Both cars roar off the starting line, tires smoking and
screaming. Terry has his hands over his head and is coughing
in a cloud of smoke as they pass. John beats Falfa off the
line.
Out on the road, as they hit third gear, the cars are almost
neck and neck. Inside Falfa's car, Laurie looks scared to
death. Falfa looks insane as he tromps it.
John hits fourth at about eighty-five. Falfa does likewise--
but starts to fish-tail. Laurie closes her eyes, almost crying--
Falfa regains control nervously.
Falfa's engine is winding out incredibly and he begins to
get the edge on John. The cars rocket through the dawn light
along the flashing white line until suddenly Falfa's car
blows a tire, his front wheel slips off and the car shoots
off into a tomato field, hits an irrigation ditch and begins
flipping over wildly in a horrifying cloud of dust and smoke--
John sees the Chevy leaving the road and screams to a halt,
swimming through an unbelievable U-turn and high tailing it
back to the crash site. He is out of the car like a bullet,
running across the dirty cloddy field. The crash car is
beginning to burn in the engine compartment and John is
panicked.
Meanwhile, the spectators have arrived, including Steve, who
jumps from his car and is running across the field.
Steve and John arrive at the fire at approximately the same
time. They stop, the flames are getting higher, burning up
into the trees now. Steve looks around wildly--he sees John
and goes at him.
STEVE
You stupid sonofabitch, she was in
that car! Why did you have--
He takes a couple of swings at John, who finally manages to
tackle him around the waist. They both get up looking at the
flaming wreckage. Then John moves around the side, crouching,
trying to see past the flames--suddenly, he stands and motions
to Steve to come over. They both circle the wreck.
Around behind the flaming car Falfa is standing in a state
of shock watching the car go up in smoke, while Laurie is
circling him, screaming and beating him with her purse.