The Cannonball Sun

11/28/2025

Listen. Follow. Share. Check out Mallory Keenoy’s podcast about the history of The Cannonball Run.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cannonball-podcast/id18507570

Automotive Podcast · This isn’t just another car podcast. This is the never-before-told story of Cannonball—the unsanctioned and undeniably American road race from New York to Los Angeles that has defied the law, technolo…

10/01/2024

Need some entertainment? Listen to this podcast of Will and friends sharing their solar car experience. It’s a funny one. Excuse some of Will’s colorful language — he takes after his father. 🤣

https://open.spotify.com/episode/72rwrik2FTw0nkITSsj78z?si=AogKpzX5SdaW53VRCiaiVQ&t=765

Autonocast · Episode

09/17/2024

09/10/2024

Shout out to 3M!

Will Jones had a major problem. His solar-powered car broke down in the middle of the desert as the air temperature reached 119 degrees and the nearest gas station was more than 50 miles away....

07/28/2024

A huge thank you to Evan Williams from Gear Ju**ie for writing a fantastic article on our Cannonball Sun adventure! We were thrilled that Evan reached out and did such a nice job. One thing we really appreciated was how he read all of our blog posts and did a great job summarizing all the fun (and challenges) we faced along the way. It was a great article, and we hope everyone reads it!

**ie

07/27/2024

Thank you, Emme Hall, for the fantastic article in Car and Driver about our Cannonball Sun adventure! The whole team is super stoked to be featured in a publication we’ve all read since we were kids. It’s incredibly cool to see our story and the car we built being highlighted.

Emme was super awesome and did a great job telling our story. One neat thing about The Cannonball Sun is it ties together car enthusiasts excited about the cannonball run and nerds/engineers excited about renewable travel, electric vehicles, and solar cars. She even got to drive Sun Strider!

One of the funniest moments was when Emme proposed playing drinking games on the array. The whole team was laughing, and while we never did play, it was a memorable moment.

Thank you, Emme, for being a part of our journey. Check out the article in our bio!

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a61701464/solar-powered-vehicle-makes-cannonball-run-new-record/

07/26/2024

We owe a huge thanks to our long-time friend, supporter, and teammate, Mr. Pline. It all started with the Okemos solar car, where Mr. Pline volunteered a ton of time, material, and effort to help us design and build a jack shaft system that was critical to us going to Texas for the solar car challenge and getting second place. As Brett’s and my pre-calculus teacher, he provided invaluable guidance. Mr. Pline was instrumental in getting Pink Skies to Manhattan on our first attempt to go NY2LA. He helped us rebuild our suspension overnight and loaned us his trailer.

Mr. Pline has taught us so much about fabrication, how to do things the right way, and just general how to build anything. One of the best memories is rebuilding the suspension for Pink Skies. He dropped everything he was doing and spent two extremely long days helping us. Without him, our first NY2LA car would have never left Michigan.

His support has been critical. Sun Strider was almost entirely built in his shop. He has helped us so much and been such a great influence and supporter. His wife, Mrs. Pline, has also been incredibly kind and gracious to us, always keeping us well-fed and welcomed as we worked with Mr. Pline in his shop.

Mr. Pline has been the critical behind-the-scenes supporter. We fabricated almost all of Sun Strider in his beautiful shop. He has always been there to support us when we need him. He also has a great engineering brain and has helped to solve the most difficult issues with Sun Strider. His knack for problem-solving, kindness, excitement to be a part of the project, and constant dedication and support have stood out the most throughout our journey.

Thank you, Mr. Pline, for everything. We couldn’t have done it without you.

07/25/2024

We are thrilled to share that our journey was featured in an article on The Verge! A huge thank you to Abigail Bassett for coming out and writing such an incredible piece. Your support and coverage mean the world to us.

We encourage everyone to read the article to get an inside look at our record-breaking adventure. The link is in our bio.

07/25/2024

No guarantee that this is the last — but here’s another article about The Cannonball Sun and the quest west. I am safely back in my favorite place (the north). The Solar Boys made it home in the wee hours of the night. Solar Dad is back to counting shoes . . .

It took four Michigan friends over 13 days to drive cross-country, from New York to LA, in a solar car they built themselves.

07/23/2024

Thank You — Brian W. Jones!

We want to extend our deepest gratitude to Brian Jones, co-owner of Playmakers and Will’s dad, for his unwavering support throughout our 13-day record-breaking run across the United States.

Brian’s support was invaluable. He provided us with space in the Playmakers warehouse and supplied us with our chase/tow vehicle through Playmakers. More importantly, during the race, he was with us every step of the way. From driving the trailer and keeping us hydrated and well-fed to doing laundry and anticipating our needs, he ensured we could focus 100% on Sun Strider.

Brian never complained once and always anticipated our needs. His support was critical; it made our lives so much easier. We wouldn’t have finished as quickly, or possibly at all, without his help.

He was a perfect addition to the team, always eager to learn, never complaining about car issues, and always supportive. A memorable moment was when we broke down in the Mojave Desert with temperatures reaching 115 degrees. Brian was understandably nervous, but he was right there with us, running parts and providing water to keep us from getting dehydrated. Despite being 50 miles from the nearest town, he supported us through that challenge.

We are incredibly thankful to have had him as a part of our team and grateful for everything he did. Thank you, Brian!