CompetitionPlus.com's highly acclaimed series, Legends: The Series, forged ahead into its fifth season with enthusiasm and an itinerary chock full of excitement and legends profiles. Opening with drag racing's most iconic female drag racer Shirley Muldowney, and continuing with one of the sport's greatest "what if" in Blaine Johnson, as told by his brother Alan Johnson. 

Legends: The Series stepped outside of its usual legends behind the wheel to a prominent member of the media Dave Wallace. Then it moved into one of the sports more talented photographers who developed into a helluva drag racer with Whit Bazemore. 

The final episode of the season highlighted the rise to stardom of Darrell Russell, another driver like Johnson, who was killed in his prime while doing what he loved most. 

Unfortunately, Season 5 was cut short when series producer Bobby Bennett became one of the first confirmed cases of COVID-19. His condition and subsequent recovery caused production to come to a grinding halt but would not prevent a fresh start with Season 6. 

 

SEASON 5, EPISODE 1 - THE LEGEND OF SHIRLEY MULDOWNEY

Drag racing boasts a diversity of participation that is the envy of every other motor racing discipline on the planet. But, how diverse would the sport be today had there never been a woman with the fiery determination of Shirley “Cha Cha” Muldowney?

While Shirley Shahan, Judy Lilly and others had broken drag racing’s gender barrier long before Muldowney left the streets of Schenectady, N.Y., they earned their NHRA hardware in cars that could have been driven to and from church, school or the corner store.

When Muldowney burst upon the scene in the early 1970s, though, she wasn’t interested in driving a Dodge or Ford or Chevrolet. She was hell bent on mashing the pedal on a Top Fuel dragster, a purpose-built race car that even in 1973 was capable of zero to 240 mile per hour acceleration in less than six seconds.

The problem was that conventional wisdom suggested that while it was okay for women to compete in Stock and Super Stock, members of the “fairer sex” simply were not physically capable of handling the torque and power of a fuel altered, Funny Car or Top Fuel dragster.

Muldowney, of course, begged to differ and 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.

So, pull up a chair and strap in. It’s gonna be one wild ride.

 

SEASON 5, EPISODE 2 - THE LEGEND OF BLAINE JOHNSON

Deaths in drag racing are always tough.

However, the 1996 loss of Blaine Johnson is as tough of a gut punch as drag racing has ever experienced.

Poised to add a Winston Top Fuel championship to the four titles he already had won in Top Alcohol Dragster, Johnson was on top of the straight-line world and atop the point standings when he crashed at the end of a record-setting qualifying run at the U.S. Nationals.

Almost a quarter of a century later, the Johnson brothers still communicate. Moreover, Blaine’s spiritual presence is as much motivation in the 21st century as was his physical presence in those idyllic early days when everything seemed possible for a couple of aspiring dairy farmers from Santa Maria, Calif.

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.

“The greatest memories are just the fun we had with each other,” Johnson said. “Racing and winning together. It was a blast. Setting goals for ourselves and then achieving those things.”

So, grab a chair, relax and get ready to share the heartfelt recollections of a loving brother.

 

 

 

SEASON 5, EPISODE 3 - THE LEGEND OF DAVE WALLACE

During the ‘50s and ‘60s, when drag racing was in its infancy, those who documented the sport for enthusiast publications like National Dragster and Drag News rarely were trained journalists. Most were simply fans motivated by a love for the sport.

Among them was a native Californian who, armed with little more than an unquenchable curiosity and the ability to make sentences (“I wasn’t good at anything but P.E. and English”), ultimately set a standard for race coverage and honest commentary that helped transform the sport.

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.

The son of a dad who instilled in him the values that would shape both his life and his career, Wallace never was afraid to ruffle feathers in his pursuit of the truth.

“I’d like to be remembered as a guy who tried to get it right,” he said, “an advocate for the average fan who probably made some honest mistakes but who always looked out for the little guy.”

So, climb aboard for a journey that begins in the time slip booth at San Fernando Dragstrip, winds through Ft. Ord and Nam, moves on to a test of personal loyalty at Lions Drag Strip, to a resurrection of sorts at OCIR and ends with his game-changing tenure as the do-it-all editor at Drag News.

 

SEASON 5, EPISODE 4 - THE LEGEND OF WHIT BAZEMORE

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.
 

 

SEASON 5, EPISODE 1 - THE LEGEND OF DARRELL RUSSELL

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.

Gone too soon? No question.

Forgotten? Never.