FIREBALL RUN: Southern Excursion

FIREBALL RUN: Southern Excursion

Sept 23 - Oct 1 Melbourne, FL. to Mississippi Coast
Mystery Destination 1, Peachtree City, GA., Mystery Destination 2, Knoxville, TN., Clarksville, TN., Anniston, AL.

Let the Battle for the South begin again. Starring Dayton 500 Winner Geoff Bodine and Space Shuttle Astronaut Winston Scott. Drivers start their epic journey in Florida's Space Coast and finish in the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Along the way they'll locate J. C. Penny, stomp grapes, get soaked in Georgia, fry a chick, get lost in Knoxville, catch the last train to Clarksville, and then someone gets a police escort. Episode also features; Peachtree City GA.,& Anniston AL.

Featured Destinations

Melbourne FL

The City of Melbourne is located on east central Florida's Space Coast. Melbourne is about an hour's drive south of the Kennedy Space Center, and 1-1/2 hours due east of Disney World. The City is in the southern portion of Brevard County. Interstate-95 runs through the county from north-to-south. Access roads from the west include the Beachline Expressway (formerly the Beeline) and U.S. 192, which runs through Melbourne to the beaches. While most of Melbourne is located on the Florida mainland, a small portion is located on a barrier island. The Indian River Lagoon separates the mainland from the island. Spanning the Indian River Lagoon to connect the mainland to the barrier island are a pair of four-lane, high-rise bridges -- the Melbourne Causeway and the Eau Gallie Causeway. Nearby incorporated communities include Palm Bay, West Melbourne, Indialantic, Melbourne Beach, Indian Harbour Beach, and Satellite Beach. Viera and Suntree, unincorporated communities, are also nearby. The contemporary City of Melbourne is the result of a merger of the separate communities of Melbourne and Eau Gallie, both dating to the 1880's.

North Charleston SC

North Charleston is the 3rd largest city in the State of South Carolina with incorporated areas in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties. On June 12, 1972 the city of North Charleston incorporated and was the 9th largest city in South Carolina. According to the 2010 Census, North Charleston has a 2012 population estimate of 101,989 with a current area of more than 76.6 square miles. As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and used by the U.S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes only, North Charleston is included within the Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville metropolitan area and the Charleston-North Charleston urban area. The city is considered one of the state's major industrial cities and it is the state's major retail center. North Charleston is the perfect place to have as a home base for your South Carolina Lowcountry visit! North Charleston offers no parking meters, more than 7,000 affordable to luxury accommodations, a wide selection of restaurants, entertainment complexes, shopping malls and specialty shops, and is central to accessing area attractions.

Peachtree City GA

The area that is now Peachtree City was first settled by Woodland Era Indians about 12,000 years ago. In 1775 William McIntosh, Jr., son of a Scotsman and Creek Indian woman, was born. He later became Chief of the Lower Creek Indian tribes that lived in Georgia. McIntosh believed that the Indians and white settlers could live in peace. In 1821 he ceded Creek land to the Federal Government, part of which became Fayette County. McIntosh was killed by fellow tribesmen in 1825, after which his two wives and several of his children stayed for several months at the Ware plantation, located in what is now Peachtree City. In honor of Chief McIntosh, many towns and roads in Fayette County were originally given Scottish names. McIntosh High School is also named in Chief McIntosh’s honor. In the 1950's a group of real estate developers amassed over 12,000 acres in Fayette County to build a planned community. Peachtree City was chartered March 9, 1959. The city was planned to be developed into villages, each with its own shopping areas, recreational facilities, and elementary schools.

Knoxville TN

Knoxville is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Knox County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 178,874,making it the state's third largest city.As of 2011, the city had an estimated population of 180,761.Knoxville is the principal city of the Knoxville Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in 2012 had an estimated population of 848,350. The KMSA is in turn the central component of the Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette Combined Statistical Area, which in 2000 had a population of 1,029,155. First settled in 1786, Knoxville was the first capital of Tennessee. The city struggled with geographic isolation throughout the early 19th century, though the arrival of the railroad in 1855 led to an economic boom. During the Civil War, the city was bitterly divided over the secession issue, and was occupied alternately by both Confederate and Union armies. Hosting the 1982 World's Fair helped reinvigorate the city, and revitalization initiatives by city leaders and private developers have had some success.

Clarksville TN

Clarksville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, and the fifth-largest city in the state. The population was 142,519 according to a U.S. Census report. Clarksville is the fifth-fastest growing city in the nation, of cities with a population over 50,000. It is the principal central city of the Clarksville, TN-KY metropolitan statistical area, which consists of Montgomery and Stewart counties, Tennessee; and Christian and Trigg counties, Kentucky. It is second-fastest-growing Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in the nation. The city was incorporated in 1785 as Tennessee's first incorporated city, and named for General George Rogers Clark, frontier fighter and Revolutionary War hero, and brother of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Clarksville is the home of Austin Peay State University; The Leaf-Chronicle, the oldest newspaper in Tennessee; and neighbor to the Fort Campbell, United States Army base.

Anniston AL

Anniston is a city in Calhoun County in the state of Alabama. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 23,106. According to the 2011 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 22,959. The city is the county seat of Calhoun County and one of two urban centers/principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1899, the county seat of Calhoun County moved from Jacksonville to Anniston. More than 100 years later, the community is a bustling center of industry and commerce with more than 24,000 residents. Over the years, city officials and local citizens have worked to retain the environmental beauty of the area while allowing it to thrive economically and to preserve its history. Surrounded by the beautiful natural resources of the Cheaha and Coldwater mountain chains, the Longleaf Preserve and Talladega National Forest, this area is a mecca of beauty. All this and more provides our city with many social, cultural and economic opportunities.

Gulfport MS

Gulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi after the state capital Jackson. It is the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2010 the city had a total population of 69,220. Gulfport is co-county seat with Biloxi of Harrison County, Mississippi. Gulfport is also home to the US Navy Atlantic Fleet Seabees. Gulfport was incorporated on July 28, 1898. Gulfport was founded by two men: William H. Hardy who was president of the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad that connected inland lumber mills to the coast, and Joseph T. Jones who later took over the G&SIRR;, dredged the harbor in Gulfport, and opened the shipping channel to the sea. In 1902, the harbor was completed and the Port of Gulfport became a working seaport that now accounts for millions of dollars in annual sales and tax revenue for the state of Mississippi. In December 1993, the City annexed 33 square miles north of Gulfport making it the second largest city in Mississippi.