The beginning of the Cannonball Run is quite clear -- the contestants punch a time clock and leave the hotel on a staggered basis. Everybody has a different start time and whoever makes it across the country the fastest wins.

The end of the movie has bothered me for most of my life. Why is there a heated foot race to punch the clock at the end? THEY ALL LEFT THE HOTEL AT DIFFERENT TIMES!! Burt and Dom were one of the last major players to start. They could have strolled up the pier instead of running. It seems that the writers/directors wrote the ending of the movie without rewinding the tape and watching the beginning.