About this event
An automotive festival celebrating autocross, drag racing and ingenuity.
Penny-pinching and extreme speed meet at the Grassroots Motorsports $2000 Challenge presented by Tire Rack—often with spectacular results.
Build a car for less than $2000, enter your over-budget build, or both: They’ll all battle against each other at Gainesville Raceway to see if money really equals speed.
Not ready to race? We've got you covered, too: Join us for Hagerty Cars & Caffeine on Sunday morning. Registration is free, and you'll get an up-close and personal look at each and every car entered in the event.
New: No course work at the autocross! We’ve hired workers so you can focus on driving, not on picking up cones.
What
Autocross, drag racing, car show, camping and community
Where
Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida
Spectators
Use the "Register now" button on this page to purchase spectator tickets. $10 in advance, $15 at the gate.
Details
Click here to view the full $2000 Challenge website.
Schedule
Click here to view the $2000 Challenge schedule.
Rules
Click here to read the full rulebook.
Prizes
Click here to view the thousands of dollars worth of prizes we'll be awarding.
The 2025 Grassroots Motorsports $2000 Challenge is presented by Tire Rack in association with CRC Industries.
Event requirements
Ignore these requirements if you'll only be entering Hagerty Cars & Caffeine.
Please read the $2000 Challenge Rules before continuing.
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 are not scored in the $2000 Challenge concours.
Registration:
We're happy to extend a registration discount to teams officially sanctioned by an accredited college or university. Email us for more details.