In the Midwestern town of Puckerbush on Halloween, mischievous teenager Hoover Neibold, the son of cantankerous sheriff Harry Niebold, and his friends go to the race track to see Big Bubba Jones compete in a race. Since Darlene and her parents are also in attendance, he thinks it would be a good idea to see her. When Jones' pit crew pulls him away for an emergency, Hoover jumps at the chance to impress Darlene by stealing Jones' car, nicknamed Mabel, and offers Darlene a ride. She and the rest of Hoover's friends get in and roar away, with a deputy already in pursuit, but winds up crashing past the front paneling of a nearby restaurant, disabling his car. At the sheriff's office, an exasperated Harry is overwhelmed with the outrage from concerned parents, as well as Jones. Overwhelmed by the chaos, Harry sends them to wait inside the drunk tank.Soon after, the gang pulls onto a farm to pick up another one of Hoover's pals, Junior Hale, laid up with a broken leg. Soon, another deputy pulls in to block Hoover's path, causing both cars to obliterate the property and the deputy crashes into a mud bath, sinking his car. They later offer to give elderly Mr. Lewis a ride, only to get chased by another deputy onto a field and having Lewis' alarmed wife notify Harry accusing the kids of kidnapping her husband. Hoover continues his antics with the remaining deputies, as the sheriff's office becomes more crowded with other concerned citizens. Later, he and Darlene leave the gang behind, as they think they should temporarily leave the area and lay low in an unoccupied farmhouse, belonging to one of Darlene's friends, outside of town. Harry, now at his wit's end, is forced to enlist the help of Jones and his fellow racing buddies to go after Hoover.The drivers track Hoover and Darlene down at the house and a wild chase ensues through fields, mountain roads, and eventually down a ravine. Harry, who is riding shotgun in one of the cars, suggests he and Hoover talk, but refusing to accept the repercussions, Hoover drives off. Some of the deputies now announce their resignations and Jones becomes clearly impressed with Hoover's driving. As night falls, Hoover and Darlene arrive back in town, where they are greeted by all the citizens and label Hoover a local hero. As they pull into the race track's parking lot, Darlene makes a confession to Hoover saying she only liked him because of the car and disappears into the night. Hoover, feeling used, kicks the passenger door in frustration, with Jones showing up and scolding Hoover for mistreating a lady (meaning Mabel). He tells Hoover to get into the driver's side of the car and they do a series of laps around the track.