Barstow to Vegas with bullrun.com

Remember the movie Cannonball Run, about a coast to coast race from NY to LA on public highways?
Well, what would it be like to find yourself smack in the middle of such a race? That's exactly what happened to me on July 23, 2005. I was driving from Fresno, CA to Las Vegas, NV. I had just left Barstow, CA, on I 15 when I noticed a helicopter hovering over the highway. I thought it might be the cops running an overhead speed trap and so I slowed down to about 75.

A few miles later, I see this BMW 7 series with some graphics on it, come up in my rear view real fast. As it gets close, I see that hot on its tail is a Ferrari F40. I've got the Camry rental car cranked up to 80 and they go by me like I'm molasses in winter. They are working the traffic like wildmen.

A few minutes later, comes a string of upscale SUVs, and Mercedes and a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud, all with graphics (numbers on the side and various sponsorship graphics). As they blow by me, I noticed the www.bullrun.com on the back bumper. At about that same time, the chopper I had seen earlier goes by on the left at about 300 feet, moving right with with them.

It all dawns on me then. This is a modern day, Cannonball Run.

As we drive on, various other entries go by, and we enjoy the show.

We eventually stop in Baker, CA, for something to eat. We decide on Burger King and when we pull into the lot, there sits a Lime greem Lamborgini with the www.bullrun.com graphics on the back. The driver is just coming out of Burger King. I know he's the driver cause he's wearing racing boots. We go in and eat lunch and as I'm eating, it finally dawns on me that I should be taking some pics, but I figure every chance I had is gone.

When we come out of Burger King, the Lambo is gone but as we are pulling out of the parking lot to head back out to I15, the Lambo blows by headed the same way I am, so I stomp the Camry and do everything I can to catch him (fortunately he wasn't in a hurry) and I was able to get a little closer and snap this pic.

A few minutes later, back on I15, another car goes by and we snap a pic of it. I didn't know what this car is, Jon Krieger, who runs in much faster circles than I, identified it as a Bentley. This guy was cruising about 85 or 90 (I was doing 80 and he just eased past) and was the last Bullrun entry we saw.