Brock Yates was executive editor of Car and Driver, an American automotive magazine. He was a pit reporter for CBS's coverage of certain NASCAR Nextel Cup (then Winston) series races in the 1980s, including the Daytona 500. An Editor is a person who prepares text—typically language, but also images and sounds—for publication by correcting, condensing, or otherwise modifying it. ... Cover of Car and Driver from age of psychedelic lettering Car and Driver is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. ... Car redirects here. ... A collection of magazines A magazine is a periodical publication containing a variety of articles, generally financed by advertising and/or purchase by readers. ... In American broadcasting, CBS Sports a division of the CBS Television Network, and airs many of the sports telecasts in the United States. ... The NASCAR Championship is the championship held in NASCARs top stock car racing series. ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... The Daytona 500 is a 200-lap, 500 mile (805 km) NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. ...

Cannonball Run

Yates was inspired by Erwin G. "Cannonball" Baker, (1882-1960), who travelled across the USA several times, to initiate the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash. This illegal cross-continent road race was a protest against the 55 MPH speed limit. The first race was won by him and former race driver, Formula One and Le Mans winner Dan Gurney in a Ferrari. It took them 35 hours, 53 minutes to drive from New York to Los Angeles. Brock Yates wrote The Cannonball Run film with the intention of the lead role going to Steve McQueen, however when he died the film was shelved for 3 years. After a series of flops, motion picture studio 20th Century Fox suggested Burt Reynolds take on another "car" movie role. Reynolds refused but after one more flop decided to take the role. It is well known Brock Yates was not pleased with the final outcome of his film as it was originally written from a more realistic "true to the race" vantage point. The race also served as inspiration for the movies Cannonball (1976), The Gumball Rally (1976), Cannonball Run (1981), and Cannonball Run II (1984). Brock Yates along with friend, director, and famed stunt man Hal Needham, also wrote Smokey and the Bandit. The Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, widely known simply as the Cannonball Baker or Cannonball Run, was an unofficial, if not outlaw, automobile race run four times in the 1970s from New York City to Los Angeles. ... Formula One - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Le Mans is a city in France, located at the Sarthe River. ... Daniel Sexton Gurney (born April 13, 1931) is one of the most important figures in the history of American auto racing. ... The current Ferrari logo Ferrari is an Italian constructor in the Formula One World Championship, as well as a manufacturer of high-end and high-performance race cars, exotic cars, and sports cars formed by Enzo Ferrari in 1929. ... Nickname: The Big Apple Official website: City of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ... This article is about the largest city in California. ... This article is about the actor Steve McQueen. ... Cannonball was a 1976 movie starring David Carradine. ... The Gumball Rally is a 1976 film about a coast-to-coast road race. ... Cannonball Run can refer to the following: Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, an outlaw automobile race of the 1970s or its many copycat successors Cannonball Run and Cannonball Run II, movies inspired by the races Cannonball Run 2001, a USA Network reality television show inspired by... Cannonball Run II is a film that was released in 1984. ... Smokey and the Bandit was a 1977 movie starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Paul Williams, and Mike Henry. ...

External links

• Car and Driver Media Kit a brief bio
• Brock Yates at the Notable Names Database