Dynamic duo

Executive: Hunter Norton, attorney with Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick. Norton focuses on business law, construction and civil litigation.

Diversion: Norton and his father, Roger Norton, participated in the Fireball Run Sept. 26 through Oct. 5. The annual event is a competition among 40 driving teams that's part scavenger hunt, part trivia pursuit, through a section of the United States. Each day starts in a different city. Teams of two or three people solve clues and accomplish tasks based on points of interest, history and culture. The event is televised for a Web series, and the one the Nortons participated in, Season 8: America's Frontier, is scheduled to run this summer.

Good cause: Every team is assigned a missing child from its hometown or state and members distribute posters of the child throughout the contest. The Nortons represented a missing Tampa teenager.

Happy Birthday: Norton was at the Forty Carrots Firefly Gala benefit event with his wife, Aimee Norton, when he saw an auction for two tickets to the 2014 Fireball Run. “I off-handedly said to my wife, 'Wouldn't it be great to do something like this with my dad?'” says Norton. Aimee Norton noticed the race ended in Roger Norton's hometown, Independence, Mo., two days after his 64th birthday. The Nortons won the tickets with a $6,600 bid.

Muscle up: Cars have long been a bonding experience for the father-son duo. They rebuilt a 1968 Mustang together when Hunter Norton was in high school. “A lot of our relationship was built around that car,” says the younger Norton. “We've always had an affinity for muscle cars.” Hunter Norton planned to drive his Dodge Challenger to Texas for the race, but his dad had a better idea: Roger Norton got a local dealership in Independence to sponsor the team and provide a 2014 Camaro.

Fruited plains: The race started in Frisco, Texas, outside Dallas. On the way to Independence there were daylong stops, tests and games in Bentonville and Camden, Ark.; Ardmore and Enid, Okla.; and Pulaski County and Sedalia, Mo. “The point of the race is to show people that Middle America is an amazing place,” says Norton. “It opens your eyes to it.” A Florida Panhandle native, Norton says going through the Ozarks “was breathtaking.”

Team challenge: But the Fireball Run isn't a sightseeing journey. Each day and city brings a new envelope with a fresh set of clues and games. It could be anything from chasing rodeo clowns to feeding a goat. The day starts out with a breakfast and ceremony, usually with town dignitaries and the local mayor. Then the teams take off on the adventure. For Team Norton, Roger drove and Hunter handled navigation. Both worked on clues together. While the Nortons are close, getting along in such tight quarters under pressure took effort. Says Hunter Norton: “Every day is a mirror image of what you do the next day.”

Bad bounce: Another source of points was contests. Like the time the Nortons accepted the pumpkin challenge, which consisted of thee tasks: Throw and catch a greased up and slick pumpkin 10 yards; destroy a pumpkin with a baseball bat; and bowl a pumpkin down a makeshift bowling lawn/alley. It was the last task that tripped up the Nortons, when Hunter's roll bounced high and far and hit his father, standing nearby, in the groin. “He was walking around with a limp for a while,” chuckles Hunter Norton.

Slow speed: Contest organizers obsessively watch driving speeds for every team. Cars are tracked with GPS, and points are deducted if a team goes over the speed limit. Teams can also get bonus points if they spot another team pulled over by a police officer. The Nortons nabbed a few points from competing teams pulled over during the race.

Crouching tiger: The Nortons finished in 14th place — a satisfying result given it was their first go. They made some great memories, including a visit to Jesse James' gravesite. On the flip side, Norton says his neck and back hurt for two weeks after the race from crouching 12 hours a day. “Even sitting in the passenger seat,” says Norton, “was exhausting.”