70s tv shows had some interesting ideas about what they could do for an episode to pull off something new and interesting that would get some ratings... here CHiPS went to the drag strip, and then took the Hurst SS AMX and pro gas Corvette to the streets to pull the chute

 

Credit where it's due, CHiPS dove into a LOT of cultural stuff, from featuring the latest musical stars like Laura Brannigan, to making an episode about womens roller derby, to trucking and everything else including drag racing. Hell, even Bruce Jenner took over for Eric Estrada during a contract strike int he 5th season over syndication profits, which as we know from so many tv stars stories like Gillgans Island, they didn't get paid for decades of reruns. 

https://chips-tv.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Guest_Cast&pageuntil=Mee%2C+Kirk%0AKirk+Mee#mw-pages for the 320 some guest stars on CHiPS, it's unreal how many known celebs did an episode as a character no one remembers, like Bryan Cranston, Keenan Wayans,