Driving ability was a skill that ran in the Wheeler Family. Father Mike Wheeler was a former racing champion who was forced to retire from the sport after a tragic accident. And when his son Jack picked up the torch, much to Mike’s dismay, he soon became the best driver at Metro City High, winning the affection of the lovely Janet Martin along the way.

Together, they formed the Hot Wheels Club, along with Mike’s mechanic Tank Malloy, apprentice mechanic Mickey Barnes, his girlfriend Ardeth and the son of an African Ambassador named Kip. Mentoring the group was Doc Warren, an old school mechanic who always stressed driving safety. The entire gang usually spent their off-track hours stuffing their faces at Mother’s Soda Shop, owned by Mother O’Hara.

Safety was always of the utmost importance to members of the Hot Wheels Club, and reckless driving would not be tolerated. Freewheeler Dexter Carter learned the hard way, when his irresponsibility got him booted from the club. Miffed at their decision, he formed his own rival club, Dexter’s Devils. Along with his renegade pal, Stuff Haley, the pair was the opposite of everything the angelic Hot Wheels Club stood for.

 Hot Wheels, which debuted on ABC in 1969, only lasted for one season – the result of an FCC crackdown on kid’s shows that were inspired by toy product lines. Viewing the show as nothing more than an infomercial, the agency demanded that the opening of the show be considered nothing more than a commercial. The FCC obviously relaxed these standards in future decades, as shows with toy-tie-ins became rather commonplace. But with the checkered flag waved, Hot Wheels' days of thunder were no more.