Online gambling site wins auction for Joplin's cliff-diving car

JOPLIN, Mo. -- When Will Stuckenberg drives his Dodge Neon off a cliff near Joplin next week, an online gambling site will be along for the ride.

GoldenPalace.com submitted the winning bid of $2,550 to have its logo and Web site on Stuckenberg's car April 29 as it plunges off a cliff into a rock quarry in south Joplin.

"We like to be the first to do things and we're pretty sure the next guy who decides to auction off space on his car and drive it off a cliff will not receive nearly as much attention as the first guy to do it," said Jeff Kay, a spokesman for GoldenPalace.com.

GoldenPalace.com has paid to have its name tattooed on the back of a prizefighter's head, bought a grilled cheese sandwich that some say has the image of the Virgin Mary on it, and bought actor William Shatner's kidney stone.

Stuckenberg decided to auction off the space on his wife's old car and drive it off a cliff after he bought her a new minivan. Two inflatable dolls named Thelma and Louise will be passengers in the car when it goes over the 150-foot cliff.

The Stuckenbergs outgrew the car when their third child was born. So, instead of selling the car for around $1,000, Stuckenberg thought he'd try to sell advertising space on the car and then let it roll to its doom.

On his eBay Web site, Stuckenberg described his plan.

"It will start with a victory lap since the car will be no good after the stunt, this is guaranteed! The car will then drive up in front of the crash-crazed crowd for Photo ops and goodbyes, also to allow the press and news crews to get their last shots of the car before it dies forever!"

He said he'll put a big brick on the gas pedal and "the rest will be American History!!"

GoldenPalace.com said in a news release that this isn't the first vehicle the Web site has used for advertising, "but it is the first one that will be destroyed in the process."