Car delivery driver Kowalski (Barry Newman) arrives in Denver, Colorado on a late Friday night with a black Imperial (automobile). The delivery service clerk Sandy (Karl Swenson) urges him to get some rest, but Kowalski insists on getting started with his next assignment to deliver a white 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 Magnum (supposedly supercharged) to San Francisco by Monday. Before leaving Denver, Kowalski pulls into a biker bar parking lot around midnight to buy Benzedrine pills to stay awake for the long drive ahead. He bets his dealer Jake (Lee Weaver) that he will get to San Francisco by 3:00 pm the next day, even though the delivery is not due until Monday.