The Fireball Run, a cross-country race where 100 drivers trek from Orlando to Los Angeles, sounds like a take on the hit 1980 film The Cannonball Run. This 3,500-mile adventure of a lifetime has a new entry this year that is adding some diversity to the colorful cast of characters competing. Out racecar driver Evan Darling and Gaywheels.com founder and CEO Joe LaMuraglia will be racing in a Saab 9-3 convertible as Team G.L.A.M. in this year’s run.

Team G.L.A.M. (Gay & Lesbian Automotive Maniacs) is the first openly gay team to compete in an event of this kind. Sponsored by Gaywheels.com, Saab Automobile USA and GLEE.com (a gay and lesbian social networking site) the team of Darling and LaMuraglia will be racing to raise awareness of missing children, the designated charity for the Fireball Run.

Their car will sport a decal of 7-year-old Jonah Ferrell from Clarksburg, West Virginia, who has been missing since May 2007. In each city along the route, they will put up posters and hand out flyers to help in the search for Jonah. Each of the teams in the Fireball Run will be racing for his or her own individual child.

LaMuraglia’s company, Gaywheels.com, is a one-of-a-kind Web site that provides detailed information to GLBT car-shoppers.

The Fireball Run kicks off in Orlando on Sept. 29, and the nine-day race will make stops in cities including Baton Rouge, Houston, Oklahoma City, Albuquerque, and Henderson, Nev. as the racers make their way to the finish line in Los Angeles. For more details on the race go to fireballrun.com, and to learn more about GLBT-friendly auto companies or to meet other auto enthusiasts, visit Gaywheels.com and GLEE.com.