TO: All Members of the Media


Thank you for taking an interest in covering one of
the most anticipated road events of 2007. This is an
event 30 years in the making. Below is some
background info on how the Bandit Run got started and
how you can make the most of covering it for your
viewers, listeners or readers.

BACKGROUND
In 2006, David Hershey of Keller, Texas finally found
his dream car…a 1977 Pontiac Trans AM Special Edition.
It was a frame-on restoration/53,000 original mile
car he found through Restore A Musclecar, LLC in
Lincoln, NE. The shop’s owner, Dave Hall, is also a
big fan of the Trans AM. It’s the car he and his crew
specialize in. After purchasing his car, Hershey and
Hall got to talking about the mystique of the Trans
AM, and how it gained so much popularity through the
Smokey and the Bandit movies. It occurred to both
Hall and Hershey that 2007 would mark the 30 year
anniversary of the original movie. That’s when they
began to dream about a car cruise that would retrace
the route taken by Burt Reynolds and Jerry Reed in the
original 1977 movie. As word got around, interest
grew from all over the country.
Then, it was decided the perfect destination would be
a nationally recognized auto event called the ‘Year
One Experience’ held in Atlanta, Georgia. The result
is a three day run, starting in Texarkana, Texas on
May 15 and ending in Atlanta on May 17th. While in
Atlanta, the ‘Bandit Runners’ will enjoy special VIP
treatment at the Year One Experience with a special
ceremonial parade lap of Bandit Trans Ams and other
unique activities. The fun will wrap up on Sunday,
May 20th with a movie site tour. Local ‘Bandit’
enthusiasts are hosting a tour of the sites where the
original Smokey and the Bandit’ was shot in Georgia.
Participants from all over the country are expected.

HOW YOU CAN COVER THE RUN
There are many ways you can cover the 2007 Bandit Run.
First, we invite you to download our route map
located on the main page of www.thebanditrun.com.
There, you’ll see exactly where we’ll be and when.
Many of the Bandit Runners will be more than happy for
you to photograph or videotape them and their cars.
You may also be invited to ride-along with some of us
if you would like.

Day One: A special ‘kick-off’ is planned in
Texarkana, TX the morning of May 15th. That is a good
place to see all the cars lined up at the Texarkana
Classic Car Museum. After a brief, informal ceremony,
we will hit the road around 10am. Event
Co-Organizers, David Hershey and Dave Hall will be
there to answer any questions you may have, on and off
camera. Plus, there will be plenty of other Bandit
Runners there from all over the country to talk to.
Each of them have their own unique story regarding
their interest in the Bandit Run. The original movie
make several references to Texarkana, and several of
the opening scenes take place there.

Day Two: We’ll begin the day in Tupelo at the Tupelo
Classic Car Museum. There, we will enjoy a ‘show and
shine’ and BBQ lunch before hitting the road to
Birmingham. If you would like to do anything live
for a morning news program, please let us know and
we’ll arrange to have several drivers and their cars
ready.

Day Three: We’ll wake up in Birmingham at the crack
of dawn in the city’s Vulcan Park. There, Fox 6,
WBRC has scheduled to do six live shots on their #1
rated ‘Good Day Alabama’ show. The live shots start
shortly after 6am and continue through to 9am.
We will also be available between live shots (and
donuts!) to talk with any other media who would like
to cover us. We’ll start towards Atlanta later that
morning. We hope to arrive at the YearOne facility
in Braselton, GA early enough in the afternoon to miss
all the Atlanta rush hour traffic. The folks at
YearOne are working on getting a full police escort
for us as we make our final run to our destination.
Once we reach the YearOne facility, we will take a
moment to enjoy ourselves then take a tour of their
awesome facility.

THE YEAR ONE EXPERIENCE EVENT: MAY 18-20
From this point on, each Bandit Run driver is on their
on for the 3-day YearOne Experience weekend (go to
yearone.com for more info on the event). However, we
will enjoy a ceremonial parade lap around the Atlanta
Raceway that weekend (day/time TBD) and even have our
own VIP Bandit Run parking on the infield of the
raceway. There’s also a chance we’ll get to take
pictures with the original Bandit himself, Burt
Reynolds, who is scheduled to be at the YearOne
Experience event.

BANDIT RUN MOVIE SHOOT TOUR: MAY 19
On Sunday, May 19th, several Bandit Runners will
gather to tour locations where the original Smokey and
the Bandit movie was shot. For more on this, please
contact David Hershey for details and up to date
information. Details are still being worked out.
However, you are more than welcome to join us on this
unique tour.

CONCLUSION
Most of the Bandit Runners will go their separate ways
and head back to their homes all across the country on
Monday, May 20th. Discussion has already begun on
making this an annual event. We’ll see how this year
goes, then make that determination later.
Again, thank you for your interest in covering our
event. I think it will be very unique, timely and
visual for your viewers or readers. And, if you are a
radio station, a revving engine can sound really cool
on the air too!

CONTACTS
You are certainly welcome to talk with anyone on the
route. However, a good starting point will be these
two people. They can help give you more information
and background about the Run. And, can also help you
find interesting ‘Bandit Runners’ to cover for your
story.

David Hershey, Event Co-founder and Media
Spokesperson: 818-426-4206

Dave Hall, Event Co-founder and Route Director: 402-730-4719