That refers to a 1979 cannonball run, by the originator, who (according to the article) thought up this illegal race to prove that highway speed limits were out

That refers to a 1979 cannonball run, by the originator, who (according to the article) thought up this illegal race to prove that highway speed limits were out of date. Your phrasing suggests it applies to this run, a run made during covid lockdowns (ie, much lighter traffic than usual) in order to get the run record back. There is a difference between "these speed limits are too low, let's prove it's safe to go faster" and "someone else broke our record? Let's claw it back now that conditions are favourable".