VISTA, Calif. - Two-time defending NHRA Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon will participate in Players Run, a seven-day, cross country car rally that begins in Manhattan and ends in Los Angeles. Players Run will benefit The Children’s Miracle Network.

The 2004 Players Run kicks off in New York City on Saturday, June 5 and will take 75 teams on a nationwide journey through 12 states and Canada before ending in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 12. During the week-long adventure, the teams will caravan across the highways of America, along with seeing time on various race tracks, including Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and participate in other activities.

"I think this is going to be a really fun deal," Dixon said. "If you go playersrun.com, you can see why I would want to be involved, and to top it off, it’s for a good cause. Through my association with Bonspeed, I met the people staging the Players Run and they invited me to go along for a few days and I’m looking forward to it."

Participation in the Players Run is by invitation only, and actor Stephen Baldwin, actress Michelle Rodriguez, soccer star Cobi Jones, &#039All My Children' star Jacob Young, &#039Dukes of Hazzard' actor John Schneider, and supermodel Kara Monaco will be among the celebrities participating in the second Players Run. The participants will pilot exotic vehicles ranging from the posh Mercedes Benz Maybach to the glamorous Ferrari Enzo.

"Larry (Dixon) is arguably the best Top Fuel driver in the world," said Troy Hanson, vice president of media and special events for World Media. "Winning one championship is one thing, but winning back-to-back titles is something truly amazing. All the celebrities that have been chosen are automotive enthusiasts, people that love cars. Larry has all the goods and fits the mold of what we’re trying to portray with the Players Run. He’s young, hip, into rock-and-roll and is a car guy."

Dixon, who will be partnered with current Indy Racing League driver Arie Luyendyk Jr., will compete in the first two legs of Players Run from New York to Kansas City, before competing at the 40th running of the Pontiac Excitement Nationals in Columbus, Ohio June 10-13.