"Pit Stop," a film about figure-8 racing, oddly shows no pit stops

The things you find while mindless searching the TV listings: "Pit Stop," a 1969 black-and-white feature film by Jack Hill, centers on figure-8 racing at Los Angeles's long-gone Ascot Park. Note: The film does not feature any actual pit stops.

It does, however, contain plenty of car-on-car violence, illegal street racing, brooding actors and fisticuffs—look out for that right hook! …

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I don't care that this is about a different movie, this goes here.

This looks a lot like the footage used in the beginning of the first Herbie movie.

Edit: I was close.

"The opening scene of the demolition derby cars is footage from the film Fireball 500."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Love_Bug#Stock_footage

So, a little backstory. A few months back, we bought a new TV. Our old was like 15 years old and died. Okay, fine, I can accept that. 

We wound up getting the same TV that my parents have. My dad was excited that we have Roku. But we already have AppleTV, I told him.

Finally, just recently, I set up the Roku. Let's see what all the excitement is about....

First thing I find: Barney Miller (best show ever).

Next thing I find: coverage of a Japanese skatepark contest that my friend competed in.

Third thing: This movie. 

Of course right before "Pitstop" tonight on the Movies! TV network was "LeMans".

Ascot was a couple miles away , you could hear them running from our house , 

I forgot about the "lake" in the middle  :)

My friends ran the modified stock  racing and another friend ran the dune buggy class, 

It was shut in 1990  and now its a Giant  parking lot for insurance auction cars.

triumph7 said:

Of course right before "Pitstop" tonight on the Movies! TV network was "LeMans".

...and immediately before that was "Gran Prix"

Great film...friend of mine dad raced figure 8 there at that time and is in the film his uncle owned the club seen in the movie.

In reply to californiamilleghia :

Yes, I noticed the lake. 

So, looking at the Ascot track map helps things make sense. The figure 8 tracks that I have been to used most of the oval with the standard X in the middle.

I see how Ascot's figure 8 was pretty much a track within the oval--with the little lake in there somewhere.