Teams Selected to Compete in Rand McNally's Best of the Road Rally from Washington to Washington

Five Teams are selected for Four-Week Cross-Country Road Trip From Washington DC to Seattle WA; Teams Will Review Top Towns in One of Five Categories

SKOKIE, IL--May 25, 2012: America, buckle up and get ready for the Best of the Road Rally! After a month-long call for submissions, Rand McNally and USA TODAY have announced the five team finalists who will embark on the ultimate four-week cross-country adventure from Washington DC to Seattle, WA competing to win the title of the Best of the Road Rally and $10,000.

In the search for the best small towns in America, the top 30 towns in five categories: Most Beautiful, Most Patriotic, Friendliest, Most Fun or Best for Food, were narrowed down from nearly 700 submissions and will be reviewed personally by the Best of the Road Rally teams via blog posts, video and photos from the road. On June 15th, five teams of amateur travelers will meet in the nation's capital, where they will learn which of the five categories they will be reviewing to help determine the title of Best of the Road.

MEET THE PLAYERS: TEAM FINALISTS IN THE BEST OF THE ROAD RALLY

Qualified teams -- determined by an adherence to Best of the Road Rally rules and requirements - were judged by a combination of creativity, quality, theme and public appeal of their submissions on www.bestoftheroad.com. After careful consideration, top rated teams within those categories were offered a spot on the Best of the Road Rally by the judges.

Official Best of the Road Rally teams include:

• MidLife Roadtrip: Two friends, one from New York and one from the South, are set to share their love of food, adventure and the road
• Two for the Road: Natives of the Texas Panhandle, now citizens of the world, ready to rally
• Road Bros: Experienced road trippers ready to vlog a few more miles
• Fresh Traveler: A big city girl and a small town boy looking forward to adventure
• Rogue Riders: This road tripping duo is ready to bring you tales from the road

THE RULES OF THE ROAD RALLY

Each rally team is required to visit the top six towns in their assigned category, while fans can follow their progress through videos, photos and posted updates on www.bestoftheroad.com, Facebook and Twitter. The teams will also have an opportunity to visit and review other Best of the Road points of interest along the way -- whether it's the Best BBQ, Best National Park or Best Oddball Attraction -- if they choose.

To determine the winning team, the Best of the Road panel of judges will take into consideration each team's creativity and originality, as well as quality of their category description and reviews (through video, web updates and social media); and number of destinations visited throughout the trip. After the judges deliberate, the winning team will be announced in Seattle, WA on July 15.

Weighing blog posts, videos and photos created in each town by the rally teams, Best of the Road judges will announce the winning towns at the Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) Annual Convention on July 16. The top towns will be highlighted on Best of the Road and in the 2014 Rand McNally Road Atlas, as well as on USA TODAY's Travel site.

About the Best of the Road -- Rand McNally has earned the reputation as a trusted source in maps, directions and travel content with its best-selling Road Atlas and annual Best of the Road onlineguide.  Its celebration of the Great American Road Trip has given way to an online guide of the Best of the Road and features top attractions in more than 20 categories --- from the Best Beach to the Best BBQ.  This year, in collaboration with USA TODAY, Rand McNally is revving up for an all-new the Best of the Road search with content created by travelers online and published in the 2014 Rand McNally Road Atlas. For more information about the Best of the Road, visit Best of the Road.

About Rand McNally -- Rand McNally is the most trusted source for maps, directions, and travel content.  Rand McNally's products and services include: Interactive travel referral service, Tripology; IntelliRoute truck routing software and GPS devices; and the leading geography-based educational resources for the classroom.  The 88th edition of America's #1 Road Atlas by Rand McNally will be available shortly and it includes digital TAGs which connect smartphone users to special mobile web pages. Consumers, businesses, truckers, and educators depend upon Rand McNally to help navigate today's world. Rand McNally

About USA TODAY -- USA TODAY is a multi-platform news and information media company. Founded in 1982, USA TODAY's mission is to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation. Today, through its newspaper, website and mobile platforms, USA TODAY connects readers and engages the national conversation. USA TODAY, the nation's number one newspaper in print circulation with an average of more than 1.8 million daily, and USATODAY.com, an award-winning newspaper website launched in 1995, reach a combined 5.9 million readers daily. USA TODAY is a leader in mobile applications with more than eight million downloads on mobile devices.  The USA TODAY brand also includes USA TODAY Education and USA TODAY Sports Weekly. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. .