Brock Wendel Yates (October 21, 1933 – October 5, 2016) was an American print and TV journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was longtime executive editor of Car and Driver, an American automotive magazine. In 1971 Yates, his son, and a friend developed and drove the first the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash (the Cannonball Run). He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2017. Early life and career Yates was the son of American author Raymond F. Yates. He was born and raised in Lockport, New York and graduated from Lockport High School in 1951. Yates' first articles appeared in Science and Mechanics magazine when he was 16 years old. He graduated from Hobart College and spent time in the United States Navy. Yates was a pit reporter for CBS' coverage of certain NASCAR Cup Series (at the time, the Winston Cup) series races in the 1980s, including the Daytona 500. He was also one of the main commentators on the TNN motor sports TV show American Sports Cavalcade with Steve Evans where, on occasion, Paul Page, Gary Gerould, and Ralph Sheheen appeared. He was a commentator on racing and vintage cars at various points between 1995 and 2013 for the Speed Channel, a U.S. cable affiliate of Fox Sports. Yates was a best-selling author, most frequently about automotive topics and motor sport. Some of his articles and commentaries for Car and Driver magazine and other publications have had considerable impact within the auto industry and general public, beginning with his 1968 critique of the American auto industry, its management, and its products: "The Grosse Pointe Myopians." A recurring theme of his nonfiction work was the way American automotive management frequently grew arrogant, lost touch with its markets, and failed to respond to changing public needs/tastes, technology, and energy/environmental concerns. Yates wrote for The Truth About Cars briefly in January and February 2008. Cannonball Run Yates was inspired by Erwin G. "Cannonball" Baker, (1882–1960), who set several coast-to-coast records, to initiate the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash. Conceived by Yates and fellow Car and Driver editor Steve Smith, the first run was intended both as a celebration of the United States Interstate Highway System and as a protest against strict traffic laws coming into effect at the time. Another motivation was the fun involved, which showed in the tongue-in-cheek reports in Car and Driver