Rodman's Too Hot Rod

Where's Burt Reynolds when you need him?

Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Paris Hilton, Frankie Muniz, Nick Lachey, Carmen Electra and her oddball ex-hubby Dennis Rodman are among the celebrities revving it in Bullrun USA 2005, an eight-day, cross-country rally race that is, simply put, all about the getting there.

Sound familiar? That's because Bullrun is a real-life version of Reynolds' 1981 hit movie Cannonball Run that featured a (then) all-star cast of Dom DeLuise, Farrah Fawcett, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Roger Moore, Adrienne Barbeau, Peter Fonda and a young Jackie Chan, among many others.

Bullrun raises money for various charities all while staging what its organizer, former British investment banker Andrew Duncan, calls "an epic eight-day rolling party across the United States of America."

This year's competition kicked off in Los Angeles last Friday with more than 100 invited "interesting people"--mostly lead-footed rich and famous with plenty of time on their hands--ponying up a $13,000 entry fee for the honor of zipping exotic cars from city to city and vying for the title of Bullrun champion.

According to the road rules, drivers are given a route card and assigned a daily series of checkpoints that they must reach in a certain period of time--all while obeying local traffic laws (wink-wink)--in order to stay in the event. Upon reaching their destination each day, celebs are then wined and dined with lavish parties at five-star hotels.

"So far, we have people show up at each venue, and most of the celebrities are more than happy to talk and sign autographs," Duncan told the Associated Press. "This group is really a lot of fun. We are partying in every city we stop."

The speed racers and their crew hightailed it out of Salt Lake City on Interstate 80 Wednesday and pulled into the Circus Circus Hotel in downtown Reno, Nevada, that evening. Star Wars star Christensen was among those making it on time. He did admit, however, to getting some good advice on avoiding coppers' radar from a professional race-car driver whom the actor hired to ride shotgun.

That strategy would have benefited former basketball star and sometime actor Rodman. His gold and black Lamborghini was pulled over twice by Colorado police on Tuesday for speeding. He was also involved in a minor fender bender when a Ford Mustang carrying people taking pictures and video of Rodman for his sponsor crashed into his bumper and driver's side door. There were no injuries.

But Rodman's run of bad luck didn't end there.

According to local news accounts, after stopping to fill up at a gas station at Glenwood Springs, Colorado, Rodman reportedly tried on a cowboy hat offered him by the clerk, told her he liked it, then left after putting $20 on the counter for gas. But apparently Rodman was in such a hurry that (a) he shortchanged the clerk on the bill and (b) he walked off with her cowboy hat.

"Unfortunately, $40 worth of gas was put in the car, and there was the cost of the hat to consider," Glenwood Springs Police Chief, Terry Wilson, told the Glenwood Springs Post Independent.

Rodman's rep was unavailable for comment Thursday, but he was quoted by the Post as saying the whole thing was a "misunderstanding."

"The lady gave [the hat] to me," Rodman said, noting that he had the gas receipt. "If they want me to pay for the hat, I'll give them double for it."

As for the speeding tickets?

"[The police are] doing their job," Rodman said. "So, there's nothing I can do about it."

Aside from Rodman, reports have surfaced of police pulling over other drivers, with at least one unnamed participant reportedly let off the hook with a verbal warning.

The Bravo network will air a special on Bullrun in November.