The Story of Captain Jack and His Rocket Go-Kart

A 96-year-old man who once strapped a hydrogen peroxide rocket to a go-kart and hit 220 mph is the unlikely star of a new documentary. Jack “Captain Jack” McClure, a former bootlegger, stock car racer, and stunt driver, is the subject of Captain Jack and His Rocket Powered Go-Kart, directed by Krystal Alexandria and Daniel Hagler. The film charts McClure’s wild career, from running moonshine in the South to piloting a rocket-powered kart quicker than top fuel dragsters of the era.

McClure’s first rocket kart used two mail-order Turbonique turbine engines, a notoriously dangerous product that turned many racers into real-life Wile E. Coyotes. McClure survived and turned the act into a traveling thrill show, later upgrading to a 1,500-pound-thrust hydrogen peroxide rocket. At 450 pounds, the kart covered the quarter-mile in low six-second elapsed times. After selling the machine in 1973, he thought his rocket days were over—until he tracked the kart down in 2011 and decided to run one more pass.

The documentary builds toward that final restoration and ride, but it lingers on McClure’s personality: a flirt, a prankster, a man who held a 10-minute side conversation with a friend while the cameras rolled, only to ask, “Oh, are we still filming?” Interviews with drag racing legend “Big Daddy” Don Garlits and NHRA announcer Brian Lohnes round out a portrait that is as much about aging and friendships as it is about speed.

What the Documentary Reveals About Drag Racing's Showmanship Era

A Snapshot of a Showmanship-First Era

The film arrives at a time when motorsport documentaries often focus on elite competition or tragedy. McClure’s story is a reminder that for decades, drag racing thrived on personalities and spectacle. His staged photo with Tommy Ivo’s fuel dragster—where the kart was actually broken—was marketed as a real race, and Ivo still tells the story with irritation. That shameless self-promotion was part of the sport’s appeal. McClure understood that a good yarn could be as valuable as a quick elapsed time.

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Aging and the Need for Speed

The documentary’s most surprising texture is its tenderness. While restoring the kart, McClure relies on a group of younger friends he calls his “Rocket Boys,” and the film watches their collaboration without rushing. It also captures the mundane fixes that keep a 96-year-old safe at 200 mph—like two strips of Velcro to stop him sliding down in the seat. The project isn’t a celebration of recklessness; it’s a quiet exploration of what it means to hold onto a passion late in life and the community that makes it possible.

How to See 'Captain Jack and His Rocket Powered Go-Kart'

Captain Jack and His Rocket Powered Go-Kart is still seeking wider distribution. Krystal Clear Media, the production company, is in discussions with streaming services. For now, the best way to see it is to follow the documentary’s official social media accounts for announcements of local theater screenings, or to order a DVD directly from Krystal Clear Media’s website. There is no confirmed streaming date, so interested viewers should act soon if a physical copy matters.