$2000 Challenge: Reserve your hotel room or camping spot today
Photograph by Dave Green
Fewer than 80 days remain until the start of our Grassroots Motorsports $2000 Challenge presented by Tire Rack and powered by AutoBidMaster, so consider this your sign to book your accommodations now before you run out time.
The Best Western Gateway Grand in Gainesville, Florida, will once again serve as our host hotel for the weekend, and also be the site of the famous Parking Lot Build, typically located in the back of the hotel.
You’ll find other competitors putting the final touches on their rides there, too, as well as friendly conversations and food–via the on-site restaurant and hot breakfast served every morning.
Reservations for rooms are now open, and we’ve negotiated a group rate of $142/night. Reservations must be booked by Friday, March 27, 2026. Make your reservation now online or by calling 352-331-3336 and asking for the Grassroots Motorsports $2000 Challenge rate.
More interested in camping? Drivers, spectators and crew can purchase camping passes to stay on-site. Each camping pass covers sleeping in one trailer, one RV or one car with up to two tents.
Camping spaces are not assigned, and you’re welcome to camp almost anywhere within the paddock and grounds of Gainesville Raceway. Water, power and sewer hook-ups are not available,
What is the $2000 Challenge? Simply put, it’s our annual motorsports festival that celebrates extreme speed, penny-pinching and ingenuity by challenging competitors to build a race car for no more than $2000 and compete with it in autocross, drag racing and a concours-style judged show, with this year’s event set for April 18-19 at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida.
Cars built or bought for more than $2000 can compete in the autocross and drag racing sessions, and spectators are welcome, too.
Sign up now to secure your entry for the 2026 event and keep an eye on the $2000 Challenge website for future updates.
The Grassroots Motorsports $2000 Challenge is presented by Tire Rack and powered by AutoBidMaster, in Association with HPX Show, CRC Industries, A&A Manufacturing, Knight's Automotive and BendPak.