The Cannonball Podcast

In our final episode, the journey comes full circle in Minerva, Ohio, at Cars Are the Stars—the largest gathering of Cannonball vehicles, record-holders, and movie legends. Alongside this celebration of speed and story, we dig into the bigger questions: Is the Cannonball Run something uniquely American? Why has the community struggled to attract more diverse participants? And with safety always under scrutiny, how do these drivers still champion responsibility behind the wheel? This series was created and produced by Mallory Keenoy.Executive Producer: Tom Keenoy.Thanks for listening! You can find us @thecannonballpod on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow, like, and subscribe for more.

In 2021, a group of college students set out to make history—driving a homemade solar-powered car from New York to Los Angeles. It was called The Cannonball Sun. I was there for their first attempt, documenting their journey mile by mile as they chased a nearly impossible dream. In this episode, we follow the Solar Car team as they build, break, and rebuild their way across the country—proving that the spirit of Cannonball is still alive, just evolving. This series was created and produced by Mallory Keenoy.Executive Producer: Tom Keenoy.Thanks for listening! You can find us @thecannonballpod on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow, like, and subscribe for more.

Long before Brock Yates, there was George Erwin "Cannon Ball" Baker, a man who set the stage for it all with his cross-country record-breaking rides in the early 1900s. In this episode, we dive into the origins of the race, connecting with historians who shed light on Baker’s incredible feats, and meet the driver who recreated his run 100 years later. We also explore how today’s Cannonball races are pushing the limits of technology, from electric and solar-powered vehicles to semi-autonomous cars, showing how the spirit of innovation that Baker embodied is alive and well in the race's evolution.This series was created and produced by Mallory Keenoy.Executive Producer: Tom Keenoy.Thanks for listening! You can find us @thecannonballpod on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow, like, and subscribe for more.

When Ed Bolian shattered the Cannonball record in 2013, he didn’t just make history—he made it searchable. With the launch of VinWiki, Ed helped turn outlaw runs into viral stories, sparking a new era of digital mythmaking. Then in 2019, Arne Toman and Doug Tabbutt upped the ante with a record so fast it felt untouchable… until COVID hit. With traffic-free roads and lockdown conditions, a string of pandemic-era records followed. Some saw opportunity. Arne and Doug saw an asterisk. And they were determined to prove they didn’t need a global shutdown to be the fastest.This series was created and produced by Mallory Keenoy.Executive Producer: Tom Keenoy.Thanks for listening! You can find us @thecannonballpod on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow, like, and subscribe for more.

After the Cannonball Run’s last official race in 1979, a short-lived successor called the U.S. Express quietly took the torch. In 1983, an astonishing cross-country record was set—then nearly forgotten. That is, until filmmaker Cory Welles uncovered the story two decades later. Her quest to verify the lost record led her to Alex Roy, and together, they not only proved the past but rewrote it—launching Cannonball into the 21st century with a daring new record that redefined what was possible.This series was created and produced by Mallory Keenoy.Executive Producer: Tom Keenoy.Thanks for listening! You can find us @thecannonballpod on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow, like, and subscribe for more.

Burt Reynolds. Farrah Fawcett. Jackie Chan. Dean Martin. The Cannonball Run movie had it all—fast cars, famous faces, and not a single rule in sight. But what started as Brock Yates’ passion project quickly spiraled into something far bigger—and far stranger—than he ever imagined. Critics tore it apart, but audiences made it a box office hit. In this episode, we dive into the wild making of The Cannonball Run, and why its mix of reckless fun and problematic humor still sparks debate today—with insight from a film critic who studies problematic movies of the 1980s.This series was created and produced by Mallory Keenoy.Executive Producer: Tom Keenoy.Thanks for listening! You can find us @thecannonballpod on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow, like, and subscribe for more.

Just as Cannonball was gaining momentum, the 1973 oil crisis brought it to a screeching halt. Gas lines snaked around city blocks, and suddenly, high-speed protest felt out of step with the national mood. But Yates wasn’t done. By 1975, his rebellious road race was back—this time aimed squarely at the newly imposed 55 mph speed limit. This episode explores how the Cannonball evolved from an insider stunt to a full cultural protest, and how a fateful meeting with Hollywood stuntman Hal Needham would soon take it from the highway to the big screen.This series was created and produced by Mallory Keenoy.Executive Producer: Tom Keenoy.Thanks for listening! You can find us @thecannonballpod on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow, like, and subscribe for more.

It started with one wild idea: drive across the country as fast as possible—and make it a protest. In the early 1970s, amid anti-war marches, civil rights uprisings, and a new wave of environmental regulation, Car and Driver’s Brock Yates declared war on what he saw as government overreach. This episode dives into the political tensions that lit the fuse, his opposition to the Clean Air Act and EPA, and how a secret trial run in 1971 gave way to the very first Cannonball Run race. As the Cannonball commenced, so did the controversy—with fan letters, angry critics, and the beginning of a legend.This series was created and produced by Mallory Keenoy.Executive Producer: Tom Keenoy.Thanks for listening! You can find us @thecannonballpod on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow, like, and subscribe for more.

This isn’t just another car podcast. This is the never-before-told story of the Cannonball Run—the unsanctioned, undeniably American road race from New York to Los Angeles that has defied the law, technology, and time for over a century. From chaotic cross-country runs to movie stars and modern record-breakers, this series takes listeners straight into the heart of the Cannonball Run.Created by Mallory Keenoy.Subscribe now and follow @thecannonballpod on Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, and YouTube.