2025 $2000 Challenge Rules
Beginning with the 2024 $2000 Challenge, traded parts are counted in the recoup limit. The recoup limit has been raised to $2000. The individual item recoup limit has been removed.
The Basics:
This event is meant to be a fun editorial exercise so Grassroots Motorsports can show its readers what creative people can do with a car, their hands and a little cash. Unlike other budget-oriented racing venues, the $2000 Challenge offers very little in the way of budget exemptions, and encourages speed and hard work more than showmanship or flair. Any modification not addressed by these rules is allowed.
Competition Venue:
The competition will cover three different segments: autocross, drag racing and a concours competition.
Classes:
The $2000 Challenge will offer multiple classes. Each class will be divided into two sub-classes: Cars built for less than $2000 under the $2000 Challenge budget rules, and cars built without budget limitations. The goal is to show that cars built on a budget can match—and even beat—cars built for a much higher cost.
$2000 Challenge Classes are as follows:
Great Tire Narrow (GTN): For cars equipped with 200tw rated or higher tires with a labeled tire width less than or equal to 225mm.
Great Tire Wide (GTW): For cars equipped with 200tw rated or higher tires with a labeled tire width less than or equal to 285mm.
Great Tire Unlimited (GTU): For cars equipped with all other tires (including slicks, etc.)
All vehicles must display their class abbreviation alongside their number on both sides of the vehicle. Cars competing with budget limitations must append the suffix “$” to their class abbreviation. For example, a Great Tire Narrow entry built for under $2000 would display “GTN$”
Labeled tire width is defined as the widest tire width present on the car. The following tires are specifically excluded from 200tw classes: Kumho Ecsta V720 ACR; Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 and Pilot Sport Cup 2 ZP.
Cars competing without budget limitations do not compete in the $2000 Challenge concours. They are not required to submit build books or other documentation.
Autocross:
The autocross will follow standard autocross rules. Each cone knocked over adds a 2-second penalty to the run time. An entry’s fastest single run (regardless of driver) will be used for scoring. Entries will be allowed a maximum of six autocross runs. Pro driver runs count towards this six-run limit
We will again offer pro drivers for those who are not Mario Andretti. Under budget entries will be allowed a maximum number of three scored pro driver runs. Prefer to drive your own car? No problem–you are not required to let professional drivers drive your car. Over budget entries may use pro drivers for instruction, but these runs will not be scored.
Pro drivers and entries that have made fewer than their guaranteed minimum number of runs will be given priority access in staging lanes.
Any person wearing a driver’s wristband may drive any car at any time. Run limits are per car, not per driver.
Nitrous use is not allowed during the autocross. Nitrous bottles are not allowed in cars during the autocross.
Drag Race:
The drag racing will follow standard drag racing practices. Competitors will be given ample time for drag race runs, with their quickest elapsed time counting. Pro drivers will not be offered for the drag racing portion of the event.
Red light runs will not be counted. Runs that are completed in violation of safety rules will be not be counted. (See “Safety” section of the rules for more information.)
Since the drag racing will again take place after dark, all entrants must have at least one operational headlight and at least one operational taillight.
The word “slicks” on any signage or announcement during the drag racing portion of the event means slick tires designed specifically for drag racing. Autocross/road racing/other slicks do not count.
Concours:
Cars will be parked in a centralized location, with hoods, trunks and doors opened for the judges and competitors to view. Entrants will have 3 minutes maximum to present their cars and share their story with the judges. We’ve compiled a list of of open-ended questions (view them here) that entrants may use to help present their cars if they haven’t prepared their own presentation. One minute of bonus time may be awarded by the judges. Cars will be judged on innovation, execution and presentation, and scoring will be as such:
Innovation: 0-10 points
Execution: 0-10 points
Presentation: 0-5 points
“Innovation” covers things like design, engineering, creativity and modifications.
“Execution” covers things like perceived safety, cleanliness, workmanship and attention to detail.
“Presentation” covers things like originality, theme, showmanship, team spirit, moxie, chutzpah, backstory and anything else that falls under the heading of “je ne sais quoi.”
Any entrant that does not want to go through the concours judging process may decline to be judged by writing "Don't Judge Me" on a piece of tape placed on the upper driver-side corner of the windshield of their car. Cars properly displaying this message that are parked in the centralized concours judging location for the duration of judging will be awarded 12 concours points.
Before judging, Concours judges will be shown the 12-point Concours Example. This will be done in an attempt to calibrate the judges.
Running engines are not allowed under the concours pavilion during the concours (see the schedule for exact times); violators will receive a five-point concours score deduction.
Eligible Vehicles:
Any four-wheeled, production-based vehicle that was originally sold as a passenger vehicle is allowed.
Vehicles may either retain production frame rails or equivalent unibody structures, or they may use a tubular frame provided they retain the production body.
If the vehicle uses a tubular frame, then modification of production exterior bodywork is only allowed provided the end result is substantially similar in general appearance to the original vehicle. Sweet box flares are specifically allowed.
If the vehicle retains production frame rails or equivalent unibody structures, then exterior bodywork modification is unlimited, provided no safety rules are violated. Production frame rails or equivalent unibody structures may be modified to alter a vehicle’s wheelbase.
Safety:
Except where otherwise stated, cars must meet the NHRA’s general safety regulations. Cars must meet the safety requirements for the duration of the event, including during the concours. For a quick reference chart of required NHRA safety equipment, click here.
Generally speaking, most stock street-legal cars will have no trouble passing $2000 Challenge tech.
The following will be required:
All lug nuts present
Functioning throttle return spring
Removable, reusable battery tie down made of metal. (NHRA requires a metal strap or minimum diameter 3/8th inch threaded rod.) Unmodified OEM battery tie-downs are also acceptable.
If your battery has been relocated, then a battery cutoff switch must be present.
Brakes with firm, consistent pedal pressure.
Wheel bearings free of excessive play.
Properly secured seat
Tires free of any exposed cords or other defects.
All loose items shall be removed from the interior.
There must be a metallic firewall between the driver’s compartment and the engine bay, as well as one between the driver’s compartment and fuel system. Open holes in the firewalls are not allowed. Unaltered OEM firewalls made of nonmetallic materials are also allowed.
Five-point roll bars meeting item 4:10 of the NHRA's general safety regulations and arm restraints are mandatory in all open-top cars running a 13.49 E.T. or faster or running non-DOT tires.
Cars that do not meet the SCCA’s Static Stability Factor will not be allowed to run.
Windshields must be free of cracks or chips larger than a quarter.
Vehicles without windshields must have an NHRA-legal wind deflector.
Compact spare “donut” tires are prohibited. Compact spare wheels are allowed.
We realize that the NHRA rulebook has a few issues when it comes to this event. The following bullet-pointed list of exceptions will be granted if your car runs slower than 11.49 E.T.:
Windows may be rolled down during drag runs (if you don't have windows, you'll be required to wear a full-face helmet).
Welded differentials are allowed.
C-clip eliminators are not mandatory.
Battery shutoff switches may be of alternative construction and placement. Must remain within first responder's reach and be clearly labeled on the exterior of the vehicle.
Hand-operated clutches are allowed.
Cast-iron flywheels are allowed.
Exhaust cannot be routed through driver’s compartment without a rigid mechanical barrier separating it from the driver’s compartment. Exhaust gasses shall not enter the driver’s compartment. Hood stacks, front-bumper exits, etc. are acceptable provided they meet these rules.
Every entry is required to have a seat belt or harness for the driver. OEM three-point seat belts may be retained. If the OEM belt is not three-point, or if the driver’s seating position has been modified significantly, then a racing harness is required. Racing harnesses must be SFI- or FIA-approved and installed according to their manufacturer’s instructions. Racing harnesses must have a minimum of five points, and may be no more than two years old. Older harnesses that have been professionally re-webbed, inspected and re-certified within the previous two years are acceptable.
Batteries must be mounted in the stock location or mounted in a sealed box vented to the outside of the driver’s compartment or mounted with a firewall between the battery and the driver’s compartment and the positive battery terminal covered with tape or equivalent material.
Cooling systems may be modified as much as you’d like. We highly recommend running without antifreeze to reduce track damage in the event of a cooling system failure.
Cars with wheelbases shorter than 85” are welcome to run at the Challenge. However, if your car exhibits gross instability during a drag pass, you may be barred from making another pass.
Failed cars will be reinspected after fixes are made. Entries that fail onsite tech inspection three times in the same day will be disqualified.
Your safety prep level will limit your drag race times. To discourage bonzai runs, cars that run quicker than their safety prep level allows will not be given a time for that pass, and may be barred from future drag passes.
Teams that lose a wheel or send any other large or heavy item flying from their car will be disqualified from the event.
If any conflicts are found between NHRA rules and $2000 Challenge rules, $2000 Challenge rules will overrule NHRA rules.
Helmets:
Every competitor must wear a helmet when driving in the autocross or drag race. Minimum helmet requirements are as follows: Snell-certified SA- or SM- helmet with a certification not more than 10 years old. NHRA rules will require SA- rated helmets if your car has certain modifications or runs a certain E.T. or MPH.
Budget:
This section does not apply to competitors in over-budget classes.
Net cost of the Challenge car and the parts on/in/attached to it must be equal to or less than $2000. Your purchase price of the Challenge car cannot exceed $2000. Transactions without receipts must be budgeted at fair market value.
Shipping counts toward parts prices.
Up to $2000 may be recouped by selling parts originally included with or attached to the Challenge car, related parts car(s), or related parts packages at the time of purchase. You may never recoup more than a part or car’s purchase price or fair market value (whichever value you listed on your budget sheet). This per-item recoup limit has been removed for 2024 and beyond.
You may not factor gains or losses made from buying, selling or trading unrelated parts into your budget. You may sell or trade parts to yourself for fair market value.
Trades count towards your recoup limit, and must be recorded on your budget sheet at purchased value, FMV or Relative Retail Value (as specified elsewhere in the rules) as traded items leave the budget.
You may not list fair market value instead of purchase price on your budget unless you do not have a receipt from the purchase, or depreciation/appreciation has drastically affected the car or part’s value.
Free parts must be known to and available to the public (eg. sitting in a ditch on the side of the road). Free parts must be supported by documentation (bill of sale saying free, screenshot of a Craigslist curb alert, photo of a dumpster overflowing with nitrous kits, etc.)
“Free” parts given to you by a friend must be added to the budget at fair market value.
Any inside deals—parts, whole cars, trades, donations, stolen parts, etc.—must be added to the budget at fair market value.
All fair market values used must be proved in your build book with supporting documentation. Ways to prove fair market value include:
Copies of corporate listings of similar items for sale.
Copies of at least three comparable listings from a peer-to-peer selling website (eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, etc.)
A copy of a GRM message board thread where at least 5 users with more than 50 posts have agreed with a proposed fair market value for your item.
Labor you perform yourself does not count. Any labor you pay for counts. If you run a shop and your employees work on the car while on the clock, then it counts.
Exchange rate is calculated on a per-item basis when you do the deal. It's "how many US dollars or their equivalent did you hand over for the part.”
Processes that involve waste, molds, etc. are budgeted at only the cost of the raw materials that are on the car at the competition. This means fiberglass molds, forging dies, masking tape for paint, etc. can all be excluded from the budget if they are not on the car at competition.
A part’s cost may be pro-rated by weight or quantity if from a homogeneous parts lot (example: zip ties, nuts and bolts, a box of 20 identical axle shafts, etc.), or relative retail value if it was purchased as part of a heterogeneous parts lot (all-you-can-carry sales, storage unit buyouts, garage cleanouts, etc.) Relative retail value is calculated as follows:
Assign and prove a fair market value to every part in the lot.
Add those fair market values together to calculate the total fair market value of the lot.
Express the fair market value of the part you are pro-rating as a percentage of the lot’s total fair market value.
Multiply the actual price paid for the lot by that percentage in order to determine the part’s relative retail value.
Rebates are considered a discount on a part’s purchase.
Core charges must be included in your budget. If you return the core, the refund is considered a discount on a part’s purchase, not recoup.
Any auction fees must be included in the car/part’s purchase price.
Parts acquired for free at junkyards that charge a gate fee must be budgeted at the cost of the gate fee with a receipt.
Previous $2000 Challenge cars that have been bought/sold for less than $2000 may start with a fresh budget on a blank sheet of paper or maintain the original budget at the entrant’s discretion. Previous $2000 Challenge cars that have been bought/sold for more than $2000 are ineligible for future $2000 Challenge events.
Example Transactions:
If you buy a part for $40, decide it won’t work, then resell that part for $50, you may not recoup $10. Leave this unrelated transaction out of your budget sheet entirely.
If you buy an engine for $100, use the heads on your Challenge car, then resell the rest of the engine for $80, you may recoup $80, assuming your build has not already hit the total recoup limit.
If you buy an engine for $100, use the heads on your Challenge car, then resell the rest of the engine for $300, you may recoup $300, assuming your build has not already hit the year’s recoup limit.
If you bought an engine last week for $800, but the fair market value is actually $200, you must still add it to your budget at $800.
If, 30 years ago, you bought an engine for $800, you may add it to your budget at today’s fair market value if you desire to.
If you build a fiberglass bumper for your car and spend $50 on fiberglass mat, $40 on resin, and $1000 on mold-making supplies, than you may add the bumper to your budget at $90.
Budget Exemptions:
This section does not apply to competitors in over-budget classes.
If something is not listed as budget exempt in the $2000 Challenge rules, it is not exempt. These items are budget exempt:
Seat belt or harness and its attachment hardware.
Fire extinguisher and its attachment hardware.
Roll bar padding.
Wheel lug nuts, wheel studs and/or wheel bolts.
Four tires plus the costs to mount and balance them.
One window net and its attachment hardware.
Fluids (including gasoline, oil and brake fluid). Nitrous oxide refills do not count toward the budget (however, the cost of the equipment that comes along with a nitrous setup does need to be added to the budget).
Nominal amounts of grease (such as what’s required to pack bearings) do not need to be included in the budget.
Costs to pick up your car(s) from the seller.
Modifications with the sole function of helping people with disabilities participate in the event (hand controls, etc.)
Vehicle title, tax, and registration fees.
All sales tax on parts/cars/etc.
Dyno time (however, tuning services are included in your budget. We recommend tuning your car yourself. “Canned” tunes are considered tuning services.)
Tool rental is not included in your budget. Buying credits for devices like HP Tuners is considered tool rental, and is budget exempt.
If a computer is in the car during competition, it and its cables/adapters are exempt from the budget provided they are easily removable, leaving every vehicle feature fully functional in their absence.
Partial Exemption: The Burchett Rule: Brake friction materials, lines, calipers, master cylinders, boosters, rotors and drums may be replaced with fresh ones that are duplicates or stock replacements without increasing or decreasing the budget. “Duplicate” is defined as having the same listed application in a major parts catalog as the part being replaced. Stock replacement is defined as having the Challenge car’s year, make, model, and trim listed as an application in a major parts catalog, or, if non-OEM front and/or rear subframes/axles/hubs/knuckles are used, the year, make, model, and trim of the donor vehicle listed as an application in a major parts catalog. This rule does allow adding stock replacement brake parts to a car that did not come with any at the time of sale. The purpose of this rule is to allow for safe brake components, not to allow for budget shenanigans. Original brake parts cannot be sold for recoup and then re-bought without budget impact to take advantage of this allowance.
Partial Exemption: The Violet Rule (previously known as the Reese Rule): SFI-approved harmonic balancers, SFI-approved flywheels and SFI-approved flex plates are budget-neutral. These parts are dangerous rotating assemblies that should be treated with respect. Any intact harmonic balancer, flywheel, or flex plate listed on the budget may be exchanged for a duplicate SFI-approved part without increasing or decreasing the budget. “Duplicate” is defined as having the same listed application as the standard part in a major parts catalog. In situations where a standard part is not present to exchange, fair market value of the standard part may be used. SFI-approved transmission shields, SFI-approved flex plate shields, and SFI-approved bell housings are not rotating parts, and are not budget exempt. You may still be required to use one or all, depending on your car’s construction and E.T. in the drags.
Theme and Concours Presentation: Costs to produce your build book, bribe judges, make costumes, etc. are not part of your budget. Any theme materials, stickers, paint, etc. that are on the car must be included in your budget.
Shipping counts toward parts prices.
Batteries (main drive, starting, AAs, etc.) are not exempt.
Emergency Repairs/Wear and Tear:
Maintenance is a reality of vehicle ownership, especially when that vehicle is used for competition. We understand that many $2000 Challenge cars can be unreliable, as a winning entry only needs to run for one autocross run and one drag race. With this in mind, competitors may replace parts that break during other competitions, daily driving, trips to or from the $2000 Challenge and during the $2000 Challenge, with identical or as-close-to-identical-as-possible parts without adding to or subtracting from their budgets. Engines replaced under this rule must have the same displacement as the originally budgeted part. Any parts replaced under this exemption must be listed on the budget sheet as exempt, with an explanation of why this failure was not expected and budgeted for in advance. Parts may not be replaced at no budget impact under this rule if they were broken or heavily degraded when the car was purchased, or if the competitor knew failure was likely due to modifications. In the case of a protest that deals with a part or parts replaced under this rule, a group of nine event attendees will be selected by GRM staff, and they will vote to determine whether the part replaced without budget impact was fairly exempted.
The Stampie Rule: Parts borrowed for the event must be added to the budget at the owner’s purchase price or fair market value. If two builds elect to share parts at the challenge, such as a set of wheels and tires, then the parts must be included in both builds’ budgets at the full purchase price or fair market value.
Protesting:
Competitor protests are the primary enforcement method for budget shenanigans. If a competitor or competitors feels that another competitor has skirted the budget or safety rules, a protest should be lodged. Protests will be accepted between 8am and 10am during the Concours.
Step 1: Notify the event chairperson that you intend to lodge a protest.
Step 2: Deposit $50 cash protest fee with the event chairperson.
Step 3: Clearly and concisely describe in writing the competitor you’re protesting and the part or practice you feel is in violation of the rules.
After fulfilling these steps, the GRM staff will assess the vehicle in question. If the protest is valid, the car in question is penalized at GRM’s sole discretion and the protestor deposit is returned. If the protest is not valid, the protestor forfeits their deposit.
If the GRM staff determines that a teardown must be completed in order to assess the protest’s validity, then the protestor may either cancel their protest, in which case the $50 protest fee will be refunded, or deposit an additional teardown bond with the event chairperson, after which the competitor being protested must immediately perform the requested teardown in front of GRM staff, or decline and receive a 25-point concours score deduction. The teardown bond amount will be equal to the new retail value of any parts that will need to replaced due to the teardown (gaskets, sealants, single-use fasteners, etc.), as well as a payment for labor equal to book time multiplied by $100 per hour, as computed by GRM. If the GRM staff determines the protest to be valid, then the car in question is penalized at GRM’s sole discretion and the protestor’s protest fee and teardown bond is returned. If the GRM staff determines the protest to be invalid, then the protestor forfeits the protest fee to GRM and the teardown bond to the competitor being protested.
Appearance:
GRM will provide required decals to all entrants at check-in. GRM reserves the right to require that anything on a car be removed or covered at any time. Examples where this might be required include competing companies’ decals, hate speech, crude slogans, offensive symbols, etc. Decals must be applied according to the current decal placement requirements in the resources section of this website. Cars that do not meet decal placement requirements during any of the three competition segments may receive an automatic 10-point concours score deduction subject to staff discretion.
Numbers and number panels will not be provided—All entries must display their number and class on the sides and rear of their car. Numbers must be a minimum of 8” (20.5 cm) high with a 1¼” (3.25 cm) stroke. Class must be a minimum of 4” high. Tape numbers are not allowed. Numbers and class letters are budget exempt.
Documentation:
This section does not apply to competitors in over-budget classes.
All entrants shall provide a three-ring binder (referred to as the “build book”) to GRM. Each build book must contain, in this order:
A single, large photo of the car (the more recent, the better).
Your completed vehicle information form.
On one page, a list of the first and last name of every team member, along with their role on the team (eg. Bob Smith: Electrical Guru).
The story of your build. Use as much text and as many photos as it takes to explain how and why you built the car you built.
Complete build budget on GRM-provided spreadsheet template. Minimum font size is 12pt typed. Completely-handwritten budgets will not be accepted, but handwritten updates added during the event are allowed.
Every receipt referenced in the budget. Photocopies are acceptable.
Supporting documentation for every fair market value calculation used in the budget.
For the duration of the concours, build books must be displayed and available for participant inspection with their corresponding car. Cars displayed at the concours without build books will receive a 10-point concours score deduction. Each team must submit their build book to GRM no more than 10 minutes after the conclusion of concours judging, or else they will receive a 10-point concours score deduction. Build books become the property of GRM, and competitors waive all rights to their content.
Your build book must be accurate before the start of concours judging. The purpose of this rule is to account for changes that occur during the competition, not to allow procrastinators to further delay finishing their build books.
If a protest is filed, the competitor being protested must immediately submit their build book to GRM without further changes.
Click here to download the GRM budget spreadsheet template, which includes an example budget on sheets three and four to show how the template should be filled out. When printing your budget for your build book, please print only sheets one and two, not the example sheets. Please do your best to print your budget in a readable form–ex. not spread across 15 pages, and not including 100 unused rows. If you do not have Microsoft Excel, free alternatives are available that can open this spreadsheet. We suggest Google Sheets or Apache OpenOffice. Budget documentation questions can be answered via email: tom@GrassrootsMotorsports.com
Digital Build Books will be accepted in addition to your printed build book. Digital build books may be uploaded here. Uploading your build book helps us share your story with the world.
Clothing:
During the drag racing portion of the event, the minimum clothing requirements are as follows: full-length pants; short- or long-sleeved shirt; closed shoes; and socks. No shorts. No bare legs. No bare torsos. No tank tops. No open-toe or open-heel shoes or sandals. Synthetic clothing not recommended. Those in the drag strip’s staging area shall follow the above clothing requirements. NHRA rules require drivers wear a SFI 3.2A/1 Jacket or better in vehicles equipped with non-OEM nitrous oxide, turbochargers or superchargers that run a 13.99 or faster E.T.
During the autocross, the minimum clothing requirements are as follows: shorts or full-length pants; short- or long-sleeved shirt (tank-tops are okay); closed shoes; and socks. No open-toe or open-heel shoes or sandals. Synthetic clothing not recommended. Those in the autocross staging area shall follow the above clothing requirements.
During the concours, there are no minimum clothing requirements.
Note that these clothing requirements are the minimum, and NHRA rules will require more protective clothing if your car has certain modifications or runs a certain E.T. or MPH.
Entries:
All drivers shall have a valid state-issued driver’s license and be at least 16 years of age. All passengers shall be at least 16 years of age. Only one passenger per run will be allowed. Passengers are not allowed during drag runs faster than 14.0 seconds. All drivers shall wear a GRM-issued driver wristband for the duration of the competition.
Competitors must pre-register online. On-site sign up will not be available.
All refunds are subject to the cancellation policy agreed to at the time of registration.
Scoring:
The dynamic score from the challenge will be calculated by adding the competitor’s fastest drag time and fastest autocross time together. This will give their “dynamic time.”
The lowest dynamic time is worth 100 points. Points for second and subsequent places are determined by dividing the winning time by each other time, then multiplying by 100.
For example, if the winning combined dynamic time is 74.2 seconds and second place is 75.0 seconds, the 74.2-second driver receives 100 points, while second place gets 98.9 points (74.2/75.0 = .989 x 100 = 98.9).
The maximum concours score is 25 points. The maximum possible total score is 125.
Highest score wins the overall trophy. The team that takes the overall win will receive free Challenge entry for the following year.
Entrants may receive negative concours scores due to penalties.
Rain-Outs and Other Excuses:
Your first run will be first come, first served. If you were unable to compete in any portion of the event because of mechanical failure, bad sleep habits, ennui or any other reason, you will be given an arbitrary score of 1000.00 for timed events, or 0 for the concours.
If any part of the event is rained out, struck by a meteor, or otherwise seriously disrupted so that more than half the entrants don’t get a chance to compete, GRM staff may choose to discard that portion of the event from the final scoring.
Updates:
GRM reserves the right to issue competition bulletins at a later date.
One Final Word:
Remember, this event is all about having fun and being creative, and these rules supersede the ones from past Challenges. Have a question about the event? Email Tom Suddard for an answer.