Corman promptly offered Bartel to do a similar action film with Carradine for New World, "Cannonball" (1976). Bartel also worked on the script. The film is littered with cameos from people such as Joe Dante and Martin Scorsese. Bartel later said he worked for a year on "Death Race 2000" for $5,000 "so when it was finished I desperately needed money. The only thing anybody wanted from me was another car picture, hence "Cannonball". Corman had drummmed into me the idea that if "Death Race" had been "harder" and "more real" it would have been more popular. Like a fool, I believed him. I am not, and never have been, very much interested in cars and racing" so he decided to load up the film "cameos and character gimmicks that did interest me."