Donald Sinclair, the quirky and extravagant proprietor of The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, concocts an exhilarating new game to captivate the high-rolling clientele frequenting his luxurious establishment. He places six unique tokens within the casino’s slot machines, and those fortunate enough to win these tokens are summoned together for an extraordinary revelation: $2 million in cold, hard cash is hidden inside a locker located at a train station in Silver City, New Mexico. They soon learn that they are about to embark on an outrageous, no-holds-barred race to secure the money for themselves. Each winner is provided with a key, poised to unlock the coveted locker, setting them on a thrilling journey fraught with unpredictable challenges.
What they remain blissfully unaware of is that Sinclair's affluent patrons are actively placing bets on which contestant will emerge victorious in this wild competition. Among the motley crew of racers are the cunning twin brothers, Duane and Blaine Cody, the ambitious businesswoman Merrill Jennings, her estranged mother Vera, the disgraced football referee Owen Templeton, the determined Pear family led by the opportunistic father Randy, the eccentric Italian tourist Enrico Pollini, and the no-nonsense attorney Nick Schaffer.
The chaotic escapades commence as Duane and Blaine, in a brazen act, wreck an airport radar using their pickup truck. In a stroke of cunning, they decide to part ways, hoping that duplicating their key will give them an edge in the race. However, their plan unravels when a locksmith overhears them and makes off with their creation. In a comedic chase, the brothers confront the locksmith, who attempts to abscond in a hot air balloon, leading to a bizarre scene where the brothers reclaim their key while leaving the locksmith precariously suspended, sharing company with a cow. Their misadventures continue as they hijack a monster truck after being distracted by a woman adorned with a myriad of piercings.
Meanwhile, Merrill and Vera face their own challenges when a manic squirrel owner causes them to lose their car. Undeterred, they commandeer a rocket-powered vehicle, speeding across the arid desert until fuel depletion forces them to make a fantastical detour onto a bus filled with mental patients, which inadvertently takes them straight into Silver City.
Owen, stranded in the middle of the desert by an irate cab driver, stumbles upon a coach filled with women headed to an I Love Lucy convention. Seizing the opportunity, he disguises himself as the driver, leading to a series of comedic blunders that culminate in the coach crashing due to the chaos instigated by the hot air balloon incident. Much to his dismay, Owen eventually reveals his true identity, prompting him to make a hasty escape from the disappointed passengers.
As for the Pear family, their quest takes an unusual turn when they visit an unsettling museum dedicated to Nazi figure Klaus Barbie. After their car is sabotaged by the scheming Codys, they seize the chance to hijack Adolf Hitler's distinguished Mercedes-Benz. Their escapade takes a dangerous twist when Randy inadvertently offends a biker gang, resulting in a wild chase that leads to a disastrous crash into a gathering of World War II veterans, leaving Randy with injuries that comically alter his speech.
Initially reluctant to participate, Nick finds his motivation rekindled upon encountering helicopter pilot Tracy Faucet, who offers him a lift to Silver City. Their journey is fraught with tension as they spot Tracy's boyfriend with an ex-girlfriend, igniting an uncontrollable rage that prompts Tracy to chase him in the helicopter until they run out of fuel. Forced to abscond with his truck, they proceed in a frantic bid to reach the destination.
Amid these untamed adventures, the narcoleptic Enrico Pollini finds himself asleep at the starting line. Awakening far behind in the race, he manages to hitch a ride with ambulance driver Zack Mallozzi, who is en route to deliver a heart to El Paso. In a comical turn of events, the heart escapes from its container, and Enrico inadvertently tosses it out of the window. The bewildered Zack contemplates a rather morbid solution, yet Enrico cleverly leaps aboard a train, narrowly escaping disaster as Zack revives the heart using an electric fence.
All the contestants eventually converge in Silver City, leading to a dramatic showdown. Enrico, arriving first, succumbs to exhaustion just as he nears the locker. Meanwhile, Sinclair's assistant Mr. Grisham and call-girl Vicky attempt to get their hands on the prize, only to misplace it when the locksmith ties it to the balloon, causing a series of comical accidents. The unpredictable balloon adventure leads the contestants to a charity concert featuring Smash Mouth. In an unexpected twist, they are persuaded to donate their prize money to charity, with Nick ingeniously convincing Sinclair and the high-stakes gamblers to match the prize amount, turning what began as a ruthless race into a heartwarming act of generosity.
