okay this movie was made in the 80s.  it is about a guy who dies
young, was killed during a drag race that u try to jump out of the car
before you go over the cliff, but he got stuck in the car somehow, and
went over.  he goes to heaven, teams up with an angel on a motorcycle,
named Raphael, or 'Raphie'.  the angel sends him back down to earth to
help a troubled kid, who turns out to be this guy's son.  he helps him
get a girlfriend, and then saves him at the end when the son tries to
do the same drag race the father did 18 years ago ... the song at the
end has lyrics that go, "on my way, where i want to be, got to stayy
out on the edge".  thanks so much this has been bugging me for years.

Hi ktkingster,

I believe the movie you are thinking of is called "The Heavenly Kid".

"THE HEAVENLY KID - After dying in a drag race, a leather clad
teenager is sent to heaven. In order to stay there, he must return to
Earth nearly 20 years later to help an awkward teen. The kid is
socially unaccepted. With the help of his guardian angel, he becomes
popular - and gets a swelled head. Will he realize the errors of his
ways before it's too late? Decent movie, which is actually a lot
better than it should have been - due to the strong performances of
the lead characters. It's actually a bit moving as well, when the
angel finds his former girlfriend from years earlier."

The Walrus Movie Review Page
http://members.fortunecity.com/thewalrusmovies/ghlist.html
 

"In the 1960s teenager Bobby Fontana is involved in a chicken race -
where two opponents head towards the edge of a cliff in cars, the one
who bails out the first being the `chicken'. But Bobby?s sleeve is
caught in the door of his car and he instead goes over the cliff. In
the afterlife he finds himself aboard the train to Uptown however is
not allowed to get off. Instead he is sent back to the present day as
a guardian angel with a mission to help nerdish, bullied teenager
Lenny Barnes to stand up for himself."

Rotten Tomatoes
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/click/movie-1009432/reviews.php?critic=all&sortby=default&page=1&rid=845824


The Heavenly Kid (1985)     
   
Directed by: Cary Medoway
Writing credits: Cary Medoway & Martin Copeland 
Genre: Comedy / Romance 
Also Known As:
Heavenly Kid (1985) (UK) (video box title) 
Teen Angel (1985) (USA) (working title) 
Runtime: 90 min 
Country: USA 
Language: English 

"When Bobby dies in a car accident he is not allowed to enter heaven
but has to stay in one of the lower levels until he has worked enough
as an guardian angel in order to deserve paradise. One of his jobs is
Lenny, a gifted boy, who loves his schoolmate Sharon who is the most
beautiful girl of the class. But she does not even notice him so that
he is about to commit suicide. Bobby prevents this and dresses Lenny
up making him a playboy and tough guy so that he gets what he wants
although Bobby knows that this is not the best. Thinking that his job
is done, Bobby realizes that Lenny's mother is his former girlfriend
who has married another guy. Although not being allowed he makes
himself visible to her..."

The Internet Movie Database
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089265/


This movie is available for purchase at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000F40B/104-4506108-2940722?v=glance


Search criteria:
movie "drag race" dies heaven angel 
"The Heavenly Kid"


I hope this is helpful. If you have any questions regarding my answer,
or believe this isn't the movie you remember, please don't hesitate to
request a clarification before rating. I will be glad to further
assist you.

Best regards,
Rainbow-ga

yep this is it ... thank u soooo much!!

Hi ktkingster,
Glad I could help. Thank you for the tip and rating.
Best wishes,
Rainbow~