$2000 Challenge: Not an art car, but a low-buck BMW 2500 racer

Written By Colin Wood

Photograph by Tony Neste

  • Entrant: Al Taylor

  • Event year: 2016

  • Budget spent: $947.90

The Reverend Alonzo Graham Taylor III visited the $2000 Challenge during a road trip in his 1969 BMW 2500, its possum-and-chicken paint job done by an artist friend for just $260: $100 in cash and $160 in, as Al told us, “good ass beer.”

Prep for $2000 was fairly easy, Al explained, as he simply bolted on some “fresher” shocks. Once at the venue, he then stashed all of his spares in the bushes–for safe keeping, he added.

Make your own low-buck memories at the Grassroots Motorsports $2000 Challenge Presented by Tire Rack and Powered by AutoBidMaster, held April 18-19, 2026–that's fewer than 100 days for everyone keeping score at home.

The Grassroots Motorsports $2000 Challenge is Presented by Tire Rack and Powered by AutoBidMaster, in Association with CRC Industries, A&A Manufacturing, Knight's Automotive and BendPak.

Colin Wood
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Enter now: only 101 days until the $2000 Challenge