Hals' great love for speed ultimately led him on
a personal quest to become the first man to break
the sound barrier on the ground. Hal launched his
campaign to be the first man to break the sound
barrier in Tonopah, Nevada with the H.M.I.
Motivator. Needham drove to a top speed of 620
miles per hour. When the H.M.I. braking parachute
failed at 350 miles per hour, Needham took a
scary ride across the mud lake desert. Having not
succeeded in breaking the sound barrier, Needham
built a new rocket car, The Budweiser Rocket.
Needham hired Stanley Barrett, his stuntman
protege, to drive the Budweiser Rocket and the
Needham Team headed for the Bonneville Salt Flats.
8 hair raising runs were made but the salt was to
thin and the wheels would break through causing
the car to tricycle and bounce across the salt
bed. "The Needham Team" then decided on
Edwards Air Force Base to make an assault on the
Sound Barrier. On December 17, 1979, Stan Barrett
drove Needham's Budweiser Rocket Car to a speed
of 739.666 mph, which broke the Sound Barrier on
the ground for the first time ever. The car was
donated to the 'Smithsonian Institute where it is
on display in the Aerospace Museum.
Not quite as fast but just as exciting was
Needham's N.A.S.C.A.R. race team, the Skoal
Bandit. The Skoal Bandit consisted of Needham,
his partner and co-owner Burt Reynolds, and his
driver, a relatively unknown Harry Gant. The
Skoal Bandit team was so successful; the United
States tobacco industry manufactured and named a
product after the team. Never before had a
product been manufactured due to the success of a
N.A.S.C.A.R. race team. The number 33 car was
called the 'Skoal Bandit' for its sponsor, but
also carried the Hal Needham/ Burt Reynolds names
as owners. Needham attended as rnany of the races
as he could each year and personally oversaw the
operation of the team. The race car team, which
Needham and Reynolds owned from 1980 to 1989, was
sponsored by UST, Inc., and ran under the Skoal
Bandit banner.
...on the set of "Baby's in
Black" with the entire cast
and director. See more exciting
photos taken "behind
the scenes" by our
members.
F.A.Q.
Q:
Does my vehicle have to run?
A: Yes. Even though the
shot might only call for the
vehicle to be parked, it still
has to be put in place, and often
has to be re-positioned a number
of times per the directors'
request. Members of film crews do
not like to have to push vehicles.
MORE FAQS
CAR TRIVIA
QUESTION
Needham and
actor Burt Reynolds debuted their
Skoal Bandit Racing team at the:
a) Indy 500
b) Daytona 500
c) Michigan 500
d) Pikes Peak Answer:
