I think it speaks to the anxiousness of being a teenager in a small town. So many people have dreams of getting out as soon as they are able, and the narrator fully believes he will escape from the small world where he has been raised. His car is his current means of escape, albeit temporarily, from everything he knows. He realizes that he will not end up with the girl, nor does he necessarily want to, its just something to do to keep his mind off of things. The girl's father sees a lot of himself (during his younger days) in the narrator, and realizes what his plans/dreams/intentions are, and is only trying to protect his daughter from ensuing heartbreak, while respecting his daughter's feelings.
I think it speaks to the anxiousness of being a teenager in a small town. So many people have dreams of getting out as soon as they are able, and the narrator fully believes he will escape from the small world where he has been raised. His car is his current means of escape, albeit temporarily, from everything he knows. He realizes that he will not end up with the girl, nor does he necessarily want to, its just something to do to keep his mind off of things. The girl's father sees a lot of himself (during his younger days) in the narrator, and realizes what his plans/dreams/intentions are, and is only trying to protect his daughter from ensuing heartbreak, while respecting his daughter's feelings.