Season 8 of Fireball Run has arrived and Sarasota has a horse in the race. Hunter Norton, an attorney at Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick, and his father Roger Norton will be competing as Team Hunter in this live reality show/cross-country trek/charitable endeavor, pitting two-person driving teams against each other in a test of endurance and ingenuity and raising awareness for missing children.

“I thought this would be a really neat way to spend some with my dad,” said Norton, who places a premium on family, but is limited in the time he can spend with his father. “And then we noticed that the race ended in Independence, Missouri, and that happens to be where my dad lives, and that the race started the day after my dad’s 64th birthday, so it was like ‘Oh, we’re definitely going to bid on this.’”

Norton’s was the winning bid at the Forty Carrots Firefly Gala and he put the proposal before his father, who was “shocked” and “emotional” but ultimately excited for the opportunity. Since then, the older Norton has been the “man on the ground” for the team, securing their chariot, a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro donated from a local dealer, coordinating the badging (sponsored graphics on the car itself) and wrangling in fuel sponsors.

Over the course of eight days, Team Hunter will travel roughly 2,000 miles, from Frisco, Texas to Independence, Missouri, stopping in a new town each day, through Arkansas and Oklahoma, solving puzzles, deciphering clues and collecting points. An on-board device monitors their speed for safety’s sake, and excessive speeding results in point deduction.

But the Fireball Run is about more than fun; it has, since its inception, been an effort to raise awareness for missing children. Each team is racing for a child and that child’s face and pertinent information is prominently displayed on each car as it passes through town after town. Team Hunter will be racing for Juliana Jimenez, who has been missing since November 2013.

“It’s a privilege,” said Norton, a father of three kids, of the opportunity to aid in the search. “Everywhere we drive, this child’s image will be out there, from Texas to Missouri, in little towns where they might not otherwise have exposure. It’s a real honor to be able to do this. I can’t imagine what these people are going through.”

At this point, it’s a lot of preparation for Team Hunter. A former racer informed them that they would need western wear and a swimsuit, so Norton’s got his cowboy hat, his boots and swim trunks, but other than that he seems ready to take it as it comes. But is he the road-tripping sort?

“I was when I was a lot younger. I haven’t done it in a long, long time,” said Norton chuckling. “I guess if I wasn’t, I’m about to become one again.”

The race begins in Frisco, Texas on Sept. 26 and ends in Independence, Missouri on Oct. 5. Watch it live at www.fireballrun.com/live and follow Team Hunter at the team’s page below, which will be going live very soon. (‘Likes’ earn the team points, so feel free to show your support).

TEAM HUNTER