Charity race gets bad press

Drivers in the celebrity Bullrun USA 2005 are apparently getting to know the highway patrol troopers in each state they drive through in their hot, fast cars.

The eight-day, 3,000 mile charity event, which featured such celebrity drivers as former NBA star Dennis Rodman, Hadyen Christensen and Nick Lachey passed through Salt Lake City Tuesday night and Wednesday morning without incident with plenty of positive press.

But on Friday the story in Nevada wasn't as flattering.

The Reno Gazette-Journal reported that more than 20 citations were issued Thursday by the Nevada Highway Patrol as the group sped their way from the Utah border to Reno. Some cars were reportedly traveling more than 100 mph.

There were also reports of beer bottles being passed between cars while they were moving and of someone attempting to jump between cars, according to the paper.

The Bullrun is an event that raises money for charity. Drivers start in Los Angeles and drive to certain cities each night. The entrance fee for the event is $13,000 per driver.

In Utah, however, the highway patrol made sure their visible presence deterred any reckless activity.

UHP Sgt. Doug McCleve said his office first learned of the Bullrun Tuesday afternoon when it received a heads-up memo from Colorado, where Rodman got into two minor accidents in his Lamborghini. Just minutes after receiving the memo, McCleve said a motorist called 911 to report reckless drivers going down Parley's Canyon.

By the time UHP troopers arrived, the drivers for the event had already made it to their hotels in Salt Lake City, he said.

But McCleve said troopers were prepared and out in force Wednesday along I-80 from Salt Lake to Wendover.

"Part of our job is to be a visual deterrent," he said. "Because of our presence we didn't have any problems."

One driver who was going just a little over the speed limit was pulled over and given a verbal warning, McCleve said.

McCleve said the job of troopers was easier in Utah since they only had to watch a small stretch of road from Salt Lake to Wendover. It was a much tougher job for Nevada troopers to watch all of I-80 through their state.

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E-mail: preavy@desnews.com