Paul Humphries Sr. wants Detroit’s street racers off public roads.
Humphries, 46, also known as “The Chevy Doctor,” competed for money and pink slips on the service drives of the Motor City from the late 1970s through the mid-‘80s before quitting.
Humphries, a refrigeration operator and mechanic at Detroit Receiving Hospital, has funded his own film, “Motor City Street Racers” in an effort to educate the younger generation about the dangers to themselves and others of street racing, where speeds can reach 130-140 m.p.h.
The 63-minute documentary, which cost Humphries countless hours to shoot and edit and about $11,000 of his cash, was shot entirely in the Detroit area and traces the story of street racing here in the ‘70s and ‘80s and compares the sport to street racing today. Humphries will screen the film Friday at Artist Village Detroit and has invited members of the Detroit City Council to attend.
“We need to get the kids off the street,” said Humphries, who was introduced to street racing as a 10-year-old who would sneak out of his house to check out cars at the legendary White Castle street racing hangout on the corner of Livernois and Warren on Detroit’s west side. “We need to convince them how dangerous it has become today and see if we can’t encourage the city to build a drag strip in the Detroit area where drivers can race safely.”
Humphries hopes streets racers will emerge from their underground world and compete instead at sanctioned drag strips.
“We want to get kids under our wing,” Humphries said. “We want to see them come out to Milan and have fun with their cars at the track. Street racers are welcome to come see the film.”
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