Haskell Wexler is an Oscar-winning cinematographer, taking home the coveted golden trophies for his work on Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Bound for Glory. Not many car enthusiasts, however, know about his racing experiences. Wexler took driving lessons from Carroll Shelby, but gave it up when he discovered just how fast a racecar went down Riverside’s main straight. He also did some informal illegal racing on L.A.’s famous Mulholland Drive—until he crashed his homebuilt sports racing car. His racing…

Max and Ina Balchowsky dig into some serious carburetion work on Old Yeller IV in the paddock at Riverside as Wexler looks on.
Photo: Allen Kuhn