Cover Image: Reddit
The Cannonball Run is more than just a fun movie starring legends like Burt Reynolds, the Rat Pack, and Farrah Fawcett. It was, and it is today to some extent, a real cross-country road race. And it is mostly illegal! The outlaw road-trip-slash-road-race has an intriguing vibe to it, and it has a secret history behind it.
The history of Cannonball can be separated into three sections: the actual Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, the events that followed, and the modern attempts.
The Original Cannonball Runs (1971-1979)
The whole Cannonball thing came from a disobedient mindset. The name came from Erwin “Cannonball” Baker, famous for his point-to-point average speed records, including runs from NYC to LA in cars and motorbikes. The brains behind Cannonball are Brock Yates and Steve Smith.
Google Maps estimates the drive from NYC to LA takes 41 hours today.
In their Car and Driver days, the duo designed Cannonball Run to reflect their frustration with government interference in daily life and over the enforced 55 MPH speed limit. The main idea behind the Run was to prove that, with the right car and proper driving skills, the government’s limitations were not necessary to cross the country. It can be done much faster, very safely.
In 1933, Erwin Baker drove a Graham-Paige Model 57 Blue Streak 8 from New York City to Los Angeles and clocked a time of 53 and a half hours. That record lasted nearly four decades.
In 1971, Dodge provided a Custom Sportsman van called “Moon Trash II” to Yates, Smith, Jim Williams, and Yates’s son, Brock Yates Jr.. They set out from the Red Ball Garage in New York City—where Car and Driver stored their press vehicle fleet back then—and drove to the Portofino Inn (today known as Portofino Hotel and Marina) near Redondo Beach, California. This was to see what was possible. The run took 40 hours and 51 minutes, and over 300 gallons of gas. They had beaten Cannonball Baker’s time.
The Cannonball Run then became a multi-car competition event starting the same year. Brock Yates and Dan Gurney won the first event in 1971 in a Ferrari Daytona. The event continued in 1972 and 1975, and a final race occurred in 1979.
The 1979 event started in Darien, Connecticut, and was won by David Heinz and Dave Yarborough in their Jaguar XJS, clocking 32 hours and 51 minutes. The famous movie “Cannonball Run” was based on this run. The Ferrari-driving duo of Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin of the Rat Pack was based on the real-life Flying Fathers, while the women tearing across the country in a Lamborghini Countach mirrored the Right Bra Racing Team. Hal Needham also joined Brock Yates in the Transcon Medi-Vac ambulance—the same one used in the film—and their run-in with New Jersey police played out precisely as it does on screen.
Car and Driver's August 1975 cover, featuring that year's Cannonball Run
1979 was the last year Yates did the run, and the event marked the end of the first section of Cannonball’s secret history.
It is unknown why he stopped; it may have been pressure from Car and Driver, law enforcement, or movie producers. It may have been caused by the event being somewhat publicly known back then.
Second Section of Cannonball History
The second chapter is a continuation of events different from the original run. Brock Yates created the One Lap of America (OLOA), which was an 11,000-mile drive around the U.S. It continues today under Brock Yates Jr., as a circuit around the country with stops at racetracks daily. In May 2026, the OLOA will have its 42nd installment.
Several Cannonball veterans went on to launch the U.S. Express, which was a similar run that took place from 1981 to 1983. David Diem and Doug Turner set the U.S. Express’ 32 hr 7 min record in a Ferrari 308. Another spinoff was the Michael A. Preston Memorial Fourball Rally, held from 1981 to 1984. It was invite-only and featured stunt drivers and professional racers. Various rallies keep the spirit alive today, from the Gumball 3000 and Bullrun to the GoldRush Rally.
Modern Outlaws and Cheap Car Challenges
The third section of the Cannonball story contains modern attempts and funny cheap car events. The highlight of this era is Alex Roy’s (“Godfather of the Modern Cannonball Run”) new record. Roy, Dave Maher, and Cory Welles clocked in 31 hours and 4 minutes in a highly prepared BMW E39 M5 in 2006.
In 2007, Dennis Collins and Richard Rawlings clocked 31 hours and 59 minutes in a Ferrari 550 Maranello, which was believed to be the fastest time at the moment since Alex Roy had not yet revealed his 2006 run. Five years later, Ed Bolian, Dave Black, and Dan Huang set a new record of 28 hours, 50 minutes in a Mercedes-Benz CL 55 AMG.
According to Wikipedia, as of August 2025, the overall record is 25 hours 39 minutes, with an average speed of 112 miles per hour (180 km/h), driven by Arne Toman, Douglas Tabbutt, and Dunadel Daryoush in May 2020.
Alex Roy's Cannonball M5. Source: AlexRoy144 Facebook
The ridiculously absurd “cheap car” side was represented by the 2904, created by John Ficarra. Ficarra was inspired by the 24 Hours of Lemons and implemented the idea to the Cannonball Run. The rules limited the budget to $2,904, including all expenses, covering the purchase of the car, repairs, fuel, tolls, food, and tickets. It ran from 2007 to 2017, with the fastest NY to LA time at 32 hours, 5 minutes, and the fastest NY to San Francisco time at 31 hours, 45 minutes.
Another tribute, the C2C Express, was founded in 2015 by Ben “Safari” Wilson of New Zealand. Cars had to cost under $3,000 and be period-correct to Cannonball. The fastest time was 33 hours, 33 minutes in a Chevy Monte Carlo in 2018.
Each mile covered in the underground Cannonball world has its own story, as these are not just simple pedal-to-the-metal runs. There are many calculations involved regarding to range, timing to stop for fueling or other needs, evading authorities, checking the road conditions, etc. Many of these stories are shared through Ed Bolian’s automotive storytelling YouTube channel VINWiki.
Cannonball isn’t just about races or records. The spirit lives on in anyone who starts their engine on one coast, with the intent of reaching the other, flat-out.
