Cannonball Run / Gas

Gas Cannonball

NYC → LA · Gasoline Powered · The Classic

COVID Era Record COVID
25:39:00
Arne Toman, Doug Tabbutt, Dunadel Daryoush
2016 Audi S6 (tuned ~600 hp)
May 1, 2020
Set during COVID-19 pandemic with significantly reduced traffic nationwide. While technically the fastest crossing, this record carries an asterisk due to unprecedented road conditions. 112 mph moving average.
Toman's Audi S6 Cannonball record car
Current Record (Pre-COVID)
27:25:00
Arne Toman, Doug Tabbutt, Berkeley Chadwick
Mercedes-AMG E63
November 2019
The standing gas record under normal traffic conditions. Set by the same core Toman/Tabbutt team that would later break their own record during the pandemic. This run established the benchmark under real-world driving conditions.
Toman's Mercedes-AMG E63 Cannonball record car
Record Stats
25:39
Record Time
112
Avg MPH
~4
Fuel Stops
~67 gal
Tank Capacity
~2,800
Miles
10:15
Improvement Since 1971
Gas Record Progression
Modern Era
▼
NYC → LA · RED BALL GARAGE → PORTOFINO INN
2020
Arne Toman, Doug Tabbutt, Dunadel Daryoush COVID
2016 Audi S6
25:39
▼

Time: 25 hours, 39 minutes

Vehicle: 2016 Audi S6 (tuned to ~600 hp) with auxiliary fuel tanks

Date: May 1, 2020

Team: Arne Toman (team leader), Doug Tabbutt, Dunadel Daryoush

Average Speed: 112 mph (moving avg), 110 mph overall

Top Speed: ~175 mph

Key Advantage: COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significantly reduced traffic. Modified turbos, upgraded heat exchanger, custom tune producing ~600 hp. Car disguised as Ford Police Interceptor.

Fuel Strategy: 5 fuel stops, 31 minutes total stopped time. 67-gallon capacity (22-gal stock + 45-gal trunk cell). Over 30 spotters.

Overall Cannonball record across all fuel types — the benchmark that all future attempts are measured against.

2019
Arne Toman, Doug Tabbutt, Michael Haines
Mercedes-AMG E63
27:25
▼

Time: 27 hours, 25 minutes

Vehicle: Mercedes-AMG E63

Date: November 2019

Team: Arne Toman, Doug Tabbutt, Berkeley Chadwick (spotter)

Previous record by the core Toman/Tabbutt team before their landmark 2020 run. This was the prevailing gas record that stood until the pandemic-assisted conditions of May 2020 allowed them to shave off nearly 2 hours.

The success of this run paved the way for their follow-up attempt in a different vehicle platform one year later.

2013
Ed Bolian, Dave Black, Dan Huang
Mercedes CL55 AMG
28:50
▼

Time: 28 hours, 50 minutes

Vehicle: Mercedes CL55 AMG · 66-gallon fuel capacity (45-gal auxiliary + 21-gal factory)

Date: October 19–20, 2013

Team: Ed Bolian (driver/leader), Dave Black, Dan Huang

Average Speed: 98 mph (100.3 mph moving average)

Fuel Strategy: 66-gallon total capacity gave ~800-mile range. Only 46 minutes total stopped time for gas, driver changes, and oil.

Notable: Bolian's meticulous planning — spotter planes, detailed fuel logistics — became the template for modern record attempts. The CL55's 5.5L supercharged V8 provided excellent power while the CL platform offered stability at high speeds.

Bolian went on to found VinWiki and became the most prominent documentarian of Cannonball history.

2006
Alex Roy & Dave Maher
BMW E39 M5
31:04
▼

Time: 31 hours, 4 minutes

Vehicle: 2000 BMW E39 M5 · 4.9L V8 · ~400 hp (limiter removed, ~190 mph top speed)

Date: October 2006

Team: Alex Roy (primary driver), Dave Maher (navigator)

Average Speed: 91 mph across 13 states

Significance: The run that reignited modern interest in the Cannonball. Roy's "Polizei" M5 was equipped with extensive counter-detection equipment — radar detectors, laser jammers, and communications systems. Featured in the documentary APEX: The Secret Race Across America.

Roy became the public face of Cannonball running and went on to set the 2016 EV record in a Tesla Model S.

Classic Era
▼
NYC → LA · ESTABLISHED ROUTE
1979
Dave Heinz & Dave Yarborough
Jaguar XJS
32:51
▼

Time: 32 hours, 51 minutes

Vehicle: Jaguar XJS with V12 engine

Date: 1979

Team: Dave Heinz, Dave Yarborough

Historic Significance: Last official Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash. This was the final sanctioned Cannonball event before the race went underground for many years.

The Jaguar XJS's V12 raw power and highway manners made it a capable cruiser. This run represents the bridge between the early 1970s Cannonball era and the modern era that would resume in the 2000s.

1979 Dave Heinz and Dave Yarborough — Jaguar XJS
1975
Jack May & Rick Cline
Ferrari Dino 246 GTS
35:53
▼

Time: 35 hours, 53 minutes

Vehicle: 1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS · 2.4L V6 · ~195 hp

Date: April 23–25, 1975

Team: Jack May (driver), Rick Cline (co-driver/mechanic)

Average Speed: ~83 mph

Modifications: Radar detectors, CB radio countermeasures, fuel cell extending range to ~500 miles, windscreen wiper flaps for high-speed stability, rotated tachometer for easier redline visibility.

Historic Significance: Beat Gurney & Yates's record by exactly one minute. The run endured police encounters, jackrabbit collisions, fouled spark plugs, a sandstorm in California, and 50 miles stuck behind police cruisers at 55 mph. Covered by Time magazine, cementing Cannonball in public consciousness.

1975 Jack May & Rick Cline — Ferrari Dino 246 GTS
1971
Dan Gurney & Brock Yates
Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona
35:54
▼

Time: 35 hours, 54 minutes

Vehicle: Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona · 4.4L V12 · ~360 hp · 172 mph top speed

Date: November 15, 1971

Team: Dan Gurney (4x F1 winner, Le Mans winner), Brock Yates (creator/navigator)

Average Speed: ~80 mph across 2,863 miles

Fuel Economy: 12.2 mpg — highest of the 8 competitors. 29-gallon tank gave 300–350 mile range.

Historic Significance: THE ORIGINAL. Brock Yates created the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, and this inaugural competitive run set the tone for everything that followed. Gurney drove the first 18 hours through terrible weather, at one point verifying the Daytona's top speed at an indicated 172 mph. Received a ticket in Arizona for 135 mph in a 70 zone.

Yates later wrote Cannonball Run and Smokey and the Bandit II, loosely based on these events.

Dan Gurney & Brock Yates — Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona
The Original Cannonball
▼
SD → NY · UNOFFICIAL BAKER ROUTE
1933
Erwin "Cannonball" Baker
Graham-Paige Model 57 (supercharged)
53:30
▼

Time: 53 hours, 30 minutes

Vehicle: Supercharged Graham-Paige Model 57

Date: 1933

Driver: Erwin "Cannonball" Baker (solo)

Historic Significance: Baker's most legendary automobile record — reportedly taking just one 30-minute rest stop on the entire coast-to-coast journey. This record stood for nearly 40 years until Brock Yates created the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash in Baker's honor in 1971.

Baker attempted 143 endurance records with motorcycles, cars, and trucks throughout his career, popularizing his guarantee to manufacturers: "no record, no money." He later became the first NASCAR Commissioner in 1947.

~1915
Erwin "Cannonball" Baker
Stutz Bearcat
—
▼

Vehicle: Stutz Bearcat

Route: San Diego to New York — Official Record Trip

Driver: Erwin "Cannonball" Baker (solo)

One of Baker's earliest automobile transcontinental runs. After earning his "Cannonball" nickname from a 1914 motorcycle record, Baker transitioned to cars and began setting records in vehicles from Stutz, Cadillac, Gardner, Ford, Franklin, and Graham-Paige — driving for dozens of manufacturers across three decades.

Baker's car records included a 1916 Cadillac run, a 1924 Gardner sedan (4 days 14 hours), a 1926 Ford Model T (5 days 2 hours), and a 1928 Franklin (69 hours 31 minutes) before his legendary 1933 mark.

Cannonball Baker in his Stutz — San Diego to New York Official Record Trip