2023 Cars and Coffee Darien Season Closer

Yes, there will be cars and coffee and food. But there will also be music, trophies, raffles, autographs (autographs?) and more. On Sunday, October 8th, at 9:30 am, during our normal Cars and Coffee Darien event, we will take some time to dedicate a brass plaque commemorating Goodwives Shopping Center and the Lock, Stock, and Barrel restaurant as the starting location of the last real Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash.

So far, we’ve confirmed that more than a dozen of those Cannonballers will be attending this dedication, including:

• Pamela Yates, who was the real-life passenger in the Dodge Transcon Medi-van; in the movie, she was played by  actress Farrah Fawcett
• Brock Yates Jr., who is the youngest person ever to compete in a Cannonball. He was 14 years old, riding in the back seat of the Moontrash 2 Dodge Van in the second Cannonball
• Dennis “Mad Dog” Menesini, who became infamous when he ignored the starting route (the road) and drove his ’79 Chevy dualie pickup truck through the brush and up the embankment behind Goodwives onto I-95
• Judy Stropus who, along with Donna Mae Mims and Peggi Niemcheck, was a member of the “Right Bra” racing team. She was played in the movie by actress Adrienne Barbeau
• Wendy Epstein, who made the trip on 2 wheels. She rode a Suzuki 850 Motorcycle
• Also…Steven Fog (’79 Trans Am), John Harrison (’79 Lotus Esprit), Gero Hoschek (’79 Jensen Interceptor), Rick Kopec (’65 Shelby GT350), Jim Mullen (Ferrari SWB), Chuck Schmitt (’79 Eldorado), and Brad Niemcek, a veteran of Cannonballs 2, 3, and 4 (Dodge and Ford vans).

Many of the racers will be available for photos and autographs. We’ll also be raffling off 6 Cannonball Run DVDs signed by all of the original racers in attendance. We’ll have the original Dodge Challenger that Brock Yates drove on display, these two (below) newer Cannonball record holders, and a bunch of other Cannonball cars.

Our visiting Cannonballers will be staying at The Stamford Marriott Hotel and Spa – the official hotel of Cars and Coffee Darien. As usual, season sponsors Riley Volvo, Riley Mazda, Riley Motorcycles, The Auto Spa of Fairfield, Stonewall Insurance Group, North American Motorcars, and Premier Auto Tag Services will be on hand and they’ll be joined by October event Sponsors Riverside Sunoco, Allstate Insurance Najmul Sumra, and M&T Bank. And of course, specialty food retailer Aux Delices will be open early for coffee and some truly delicious breakfast treats.