Burt Reynolds famously turned down a role in the feature film, Terms of Endearment (1983) for this film, saying it was the biggest regret of his career. He had made a verbal commitment to Hal Needham to do this by the time he was offered the Garrett Breedlove role in that film, but said in hindsight Needham could have waited, since "the world was not clamoring for another Reynolds car chase picture".
When Stroker Ace was first introduced as "Fastest Chicken in the South", a black truck can be seen in the background with the lettering "Burt Reynolds & Hal Needham's Grand National Stock Car"
This is the only real live action movie that Burt Reynolds and Loni Anderson made together though they both did do voice work for the animated pic All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989). Reynolds and Anderson formed a relationship which lead to a five year marriage between 1988 and 1993, a marriage that began five years after this movie was made. Reportedly, their messy divorce drew much publicity from the media. The two first met on the set of The Merv Griffin Show (1962) in 1981 but did not start dating until 1982. This movie was made and released in 1983.
The word stroker, in racing jargon, refers to an after-market crankshaft that increases the engine's stroke, or length of piston travel, which will increase the engine's displacement and therefore the horsepower. Stroker also refers to a driver who intentionally does not try to "charge to the front" and is content to "ride around" (during the race) and post a "safe" finishing position. Front running race drivers do not like "strokers" for a variety of reasons.
The Charlotte race at the end of the season was filmed on 30 May 1982 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Jerry Reed: As himself. Reed appears in an on-set joke with Burt Reynolds during the outtakes blooper roll run during the closing credits. Reed and Reynolds had appeared together in the 'Smokey and the Bandit' movies.
Tim Richmond: As a NASCAR driver. The real-life race car driver's film career started with this movie and his passion for the film industry derived from this picture. Richmond earned the nickname "Hollywood Tim" from this involvement. His life formed the story basis of the later car-racing movie, Days of Thunder (1990).
Hal Needham: Director Needham has two separate cameos in the film. The first is when Stroker (Burt Reynolds) is doing the TV ad dressed as a chicken. He's the voice of the commercial director asking him to do one more take (as seen in the outtakes when Burt's 'Smokey and the Bandit' co-star Jerry Reed shows up on set). The second is during the bar fight at the hotel. When Stroker gives a thumbs-up to Lugs (Jim Nabors) and then does a comical spin out of the scene when he's punched by a man in a cowboy hat jettisoning him into a Ladies room. The cowboy is Needham.
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