Gumball 3000 Rally Makes a Pit Stop in Dallas

After speeding across the desert, dodging wildlife and the highway patrol, drivers in the cross-country Gumball 3000 Rally showed off their sick parking skills for a crowd of racing fans gathered outside the W Hotel last night.Dozens of folks, mostly kids with cameras, milled around outside the roped-off parking lot,...

By Patrick Michels

May 6, 2009

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After speeding across the desert, dodging wildlife and the highway patrol, drivers in the cross-country Gumball 3000 Rally showed off their sick parking skills for a crowd of racing fans gathered outside the W Hotel last night.

Dozens of folks, mostly kids with cameras, milled around outside the roped-off parking lot, waiting for Tony Hawk, Dennis Rodman, or other notable drivers to show at this midway stop in the coast-to-coast rally.

By around 7:30 p.m., only a few cars had arrived, including Team Wu's California Highway Patrol cruiser, which had been redecorated as a "Swine Flu Response" car. Its drivers hung around nearby in the parking lot, wearing light blue scrubs.

This year's 11th annual Gumball run is a rarity in that it's being run only within the U.S. -- from Los Angeles to Miami -- not to mention it's by far the most-Twittered run yet.

We've got more photos from the parking-lot scene in our slide show.

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