Preceded by short: Impact Zone (Kadet Kuhne/Sophie Constantinou, 1996). An auto erotic short about girls in the driver's seat. (8:30 mins, Color, 3/4" video, From the artists)As the first woman licensed by the National Hot Rod Association to drive a dragster, Shirley Muldowney broke more than the speed barrier, she broke the gender barrier as well. Kaplan's Heart Like a Wheel is a winning biopic chronicling Muldowney's struggle to leave behind her small-town life in Schenectady, NY to become accepted as a champion racecar driver. Emotionally revved, the film goes full-throttle through Muldowney's life, from the young girl winning impromptu street races, to her failed marriage to mechanic Jack (Leo Rossi), to her breakneck relationship with fellow driver Connie Kalitta (Beau Bridges). Bonnie Bedelia brings a jittery, sensuous intelligence to the starring role that is anything but feminist drag. "Not bad for an old broad in a used car," she exclaims after winning yet another race. "Cha-Cha" Muldowney's command over 1,300 feet of roadway challenged both the high-octane sport of drag racing and the social track she veered from. Fast and steady like its heroine, Heart Like a Wheel gets the checkered flag.-Steve Seid