Details remain scant, but filming will begin on May 18 for the Pony movie at Bridgeport Motorsports Park. The movie plans to use scenes shot from actual race nights at the New Jersey track from May through August 30.
“It will be great for our race fans and racers to be in this movie,” said Bridgeport Motorsports Park owner Doug Rose. “Actors will be here each race night. Our speedway is the only speedway in the film.”
The storyline features two fictional racer sisters, Amanda and Pony Marchetti. They are new in town and seek to be accepted at the local dirt track. The UFC octagon girl Brittney Palmer makes her acting debut playing Amanda. They have yet to formally announce other actors.
Seasoned modified driver Billy Pauch Jr. will drive Amanda’s car on-screen. His modified will carry those colors used in the movie on race nights.
“It will be our modified drivers who are the stunt drivers, the doubles for the actors,” Rose said.
The movie’s pitch line is, “In the exhilarating world of auto racing two sisters must navigate the twists and turns of life, love and competition to prove that family bonds are the ultimate driving force.”
The synopsis said the sisters “confront obstacles from local racing champions who are hellbent on maintaining their dominance and championship streak at the local speedway.”
However, the story takes a twist.
“Amanda falls prey to a nefarious attack involving a drug substance in her helmet,” the synopsis said, “rendering her unconscious and causing her car to crash over the wall in a horrifying wreck.”
In the end, the producers hope the Pony movie hits beyond racing.
“Pony sheds light on the themes of fortitude, mental health, and the impact of drugs and their devastating consequences on our families and communities,” said the synopsis. “Pony is not just a film about racing; it is an evocative exploration of human vulnerability and strength, underscoring the significance of family ties.”
Assuredly, more details to come, as filming draws closer and Bridgeport Motorsports Park becomes a real-life movie set through much of the season.
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
