Team owner Carl Anderson finds a new sponsor to support a second car. Paul Cord has money to burn, and he spends part of it on brand new Dallara. There is just one problem. He does not have a driver for it.
"I'm just the test driver," Denton insists, but his contract with Anderson trips him up. He will drive the Cord car or go on unemployment. His first competition outing with the new car goes sour when a rookie driver collides with him, ending his race on the opening lap.
His teammate, Carlo Minicci, wins the race in Sao Paulo, then abruptly leaves for Europe. If he secures a Formula One seat with Renault, he won't be coming back. That leaves room for Cord to bring in his nephew as driver, but the youngster wrecks a car on his first practice effort. When Anderson and Cord have a falling out, the association ends.
Through all this, Sharon Firestone, Ray's gorgeous blonde wife, vacillates between anger and approval regarding his return to racing. She eventually is bitten by "the racing bug," but she never becomes completely comfortable.
An up-and-down second half of the season includes a win at Texas, one dismal performance and some so-so runs, finally ending with another improbable victory at Fontana. The question on everyone's mind, especially Sharon's, is will Ray Denton race again next year?