America, 1890. The longest and largest race ever, the Steel Ball Run, is about to start. It's a race from San Diego, California all the way to New York City, New York, and while horses are the traditional racing medium, anything can be used. The winner is the one with the most points, via checkpoint placement, when they reach New York. The prize: $2,000,000. Gyro Zepelli, a mysterious man with an equally mysterious steel ball, is planning on winning the race. Johnny Joestar (JoJo) is a former jockey who's cockiness got him paralyzed from the legs down. An accidental contact with the steel ball made his leg twitch, so he's in the race the learn about Gyro's steel ball. But the challenges of Diego Brando, a popular European jockey, Pocoloco, a slave with the Devil's Luck, Sandman, a native american who is sprinting all the way to NYC, and others will make it hard for Gyro and JoJo to win. (from manga)
