Tube-frame Beetle with turbo Miata Power wins $2000 Challenge

Written By Colin Wood

How fast can you go for less than $2000? That's the whole idea behind our annual Grassroots Motorsports $2000 Challenge presented by Tire Rack and powered by AutoBidMaster.

Whether teams built a car for less than $2000, entered their over-budget build, or both: They all battled against each other across autocross, drag racing and concours sessions at Gainesville Raceway to see if money really equals speed.

So, who had the fastest low-buck machine? That honor goes to Derek Penner and his tube-frame, Mazda Miata wearing a Volkswagen Beetle hat.

In second place was Material Girls Racing and their Ford Ranger-bodied Ford Taurus, followed by Identity Crisis and their Triumph Spitfire/Pontiac Solstice mashup.

For their efforts, each team won a big trophy and a gift card from Tire Rack: $1000 for first place, $500 for second place and $250 for third place.

The full field of $2000 Challenge winners are as follows: 

Overall:

  • 1st Overall - Biggest trophy and a $1000 Tire Rack gift card: Derek Penner, 1967 Volkswagen Beetle

  • 2nd Overall - Bigger trophy and a $500 Tire Rack gift card: Material Girls Racing, 1985 Ford Ranger

  • 3rd Overall - Big trophy and $250 Tire Rack gift card: Identity Crisis, 2006 Pontiac Solstice

  • GTN$ Winner - Trophy and a $250 Grassroots Motorsports Store gift card: Night Owl Racing, 1989 Ford Festiva

  • GTW$ Winner - Trophy and a $250 Grassroots Motorsports Store gift card: Material Girls Racing, 1985 Ford Ranger

  • GTU$ Winner - Trophy and a $250 Grassroots Motorsports Store gift card: Derek Penner, 1967 Volkswagen Beetle

Autocross:

GTN

  • 1st Place - $500 Tire Rack gift card: HomePro Racing, 2013 Mazda MX-5

  • 2nd Place – Trophy: Short Road Racing, 2020 Mazda Miata

  • 3rd Place – Trophy: Ethan Swindel's Sugar Daddy, 2012 Mazda MX-5 Miata

GTN$

  • 1st Place - $500 Tire Rack gift card: Rob Rabenstein, 2004 Mazda RX-8

  • 2nd Place – Trophy: Night Owl Racing, 1989 Ford Festiva

  • 3rd Place – Trophy: More Tools Than Sense Racing, 1991 Mazda Mionnette

GTW

  • 1st Place - $500 Tire Rack gift card: Miata Is Always The Answer - Racing team, 2008 Mazda Miata

  • 2nd Place – Trophy: Kip Mitchell, 2023 Subaru BRZ

  • 3rd Place – Trophy: Blueline Motorsports, 2001 Porsche Boxster S

GTW$

  • 1st Place - $500 Tire Rack gift card: Tucker Ryals, BMW 535i

  • 2nd Place – Trophy: Material Girls Racing, 1985 Ford Ranger

  • 3rd Place – Trophy: Identity Crisis, 2006 Nissan Altima

GTU

  • 1st Place - $500 Tire Rack gift card: Nick Dunlap, 1999 Mazda Miata

  • 2nd Place – Trophy: Eight Two Racing, 1995 Acura Integra

  • 3rd Place – Trophy: Tint World Ocala, 2022 Chevrolet C8 Corvette

GTU$

  • 1st Place - $500 Tire Rack gift card: Derek Penner, 1967 Volkswagen Beetle

  • 2nd Place – Trophy: Identity Crisis, 2006 Pontiac Solstice

  • 3rd Place – Trophy: Wreck Racing, 1987 Chrysler Conquest TSI

Drag Racing:

GTN

  • 1st Place - Trophy plus a Hat and Shirt from A&A Manufacturing: FiDK, 2014 Ford Fiesta ST

GTW

  • 1st Place - Trophy plus a Hat and Shirt from A&A Manufacturing: Holy Cats Garage, 1985 Buick Regal

GTU

  • 1st Place - Trophy plus a Hat and Shirt from A&A Manufacturing: Wingin It Garage, 2021 Ford Mustang GT500

GTN$

  • 1st Place - Trophy and a Tab Kit from A&A Manufacturing: The Blockbusters, 1985 Mercury Cougar

  • 2nd Place – Trophy: Night Owl Racing, 1989 Ford Festiva

  • 3rd Place – Trophy: Travis Turner, 1995 Toyota Camry

GTW$

  • 1st Place – Trophy and a Dzus Tab Kit from A&A Manufacturing: Material Girls Racing, 1985 Ford Ranger

  • 2nd Place – Trophy: Tucker Ryals, BMW 535i

  • 3rd Place – Trophy: Man Bun Racing, Chrysler Crossfire

GTU$

  • 1st Place - Trophy and a Aluminum Body Washer Kit from A&A Manufacturing: Trigonia Racing, 2001 Ford Mustang

  • 2nd Place – Trophy: Knights Automotive, 1994 Ford Ranger

  • 3rd Place – Trophy: Identity Crisis, 2006 Pontiac Solstice

Drag Racing Special Awards:

  • The quickest car competing in an over-budget class – trophy: Wingin It Garage, 2021 Ford Mustang GT500

  • The quickest car competing in a budget-limited class – QuickJack from BendPak: Trigonia Racing, 2001 Ford Mustang

Concours:

GTN$

GTW$

GTU$

Special Awards:

  • Challenger’s Choice - Trophy and a $500 Tire Rack gift card: Derek Penner, 1967 Volkswagen Beetle

  • Fastest Dynamic Time - Trophy and a Tier 1 Membership from AutoBidMaster: Derek Penner, 1967 Volkswagen Beetle

  • Highest Scoring $1000 Budget Car - Trophy and $250 Grassroots Motorsports Store Gift Card: Barely Functional Racing, 1964 Volvo P1800

  • Editor’s Choice - Trophy and a $250 Grassroots Motorsports Store gift card: More Tools Than Sense Racing, 1991 Mazda Mionnette

  • Highest Finishing School Team (non-FSAE) – CRC product pack: Material Girls Racing, 1985 Ford Ranger

  • Highest Finishing FSAE – CRC Product Pack: Embry Riddle ERAU Motorsports, 2025 FSAE ER-09

​​​​Look for full coverage of the $2000 Challenge in an upcoming issue of Grassroots Motorsports.

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

Colin Wood
Next

Join us and Randy Pobst at the GRM Track Day at The FIRM on March 31