Legends: The Series

In this episode of Legends, The Series, Season Five, the “First Woman of Racing” talks about how she forever changed the landscape of the sport; how she believes that “if I hadn’t had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, I would have failed”; how her opponents never understood that “the madder I got, the better I got”; and how, ultimately, she battled back from horrendous injuries in a 1984 crash at Montreal to win yet again.

In this episode of Legends, The Series, Season Five, Alan talks about the 1984 sale of the family farm, about the influence of the Austins and Worshams in convincing the brothers to make the move from alcohol to nitro, about his brother’s unrealized potential and about a legacy that lives on at Alan Johnson Enterprises.

In this episode of Legends, The Series, Season Five, Dave Wallace explains how his limited expertise as a mechanic and driver led him to a career in motorsports journalism, how a typing class and a drag racing column probably saved his life after he was drafted into the army during the Viet Nam era, how he became “Wally’s No. 1 enemy” and why he believes print publications still are viable in the Digital Age.

Whit Bazemore lived the Hollywood script he could never have imagined writing as a teenaged photographer. Almost overnight, Bazemore became Winston's go-to photographer for NHRA drag racing. Soon, though, his dream to be on the other side of the lens as a driver became an obsession. He paid his dues to advance climb the ranks from Top Alcohol Funny Car to nitro burners. And in a case of something truly coming full circle, he eventually landed Winston as his team's sponsor. Bazemore would go on to win 20 NHRA national events - and a spot in the latest installment of CompetitionPlus.tv's "Legends" series. If you like a rags-to-riches kind of story, here's one that takes the cake.

Darrell Russell was destined for Top Fuel stardom Anyone could gauge his immense potential. Almost before his career high gear, though, the sport was cruelly robbed of his certain greatness. Handpicked to succeed driver/owner Joe Amato, then the winningest driver in NHRA Top Fuel history, Russell immediately proved to be the perfect choice. He won his debut as a Top Fuel competitor -- only the third driver ever to accomplish that feat -- and over the next 3 1/2 years, he charged to five more victories with 11 additional final-round appearances. But midway through the 2004 season, the pages of a dream-come-true tale turned into a hellish nightmare. A blown rear tire ignited catastrophic damage to the dragster, and Russell, 35, sustained injuries that would claim his life. The racer adored by every other competitor was gone. For some, the pain remains as fresh now as it was 15 years ago; memories of a good man and top-shelf racer still bring tears to the eyes of his peers.