A 2 year old car entered the challenge!? And didn't even use the whole budget.
Mayhem.
Photograph by David S. Wallens
Amy Roberts entered our $2004 Challenge with this 2002 Kia Rio–actually, her entry sheet calls it a 2002 Kia Evil Rio. The Kia had been T-boned, but a parts car donated the sheetmetal needed to make things whole. Amy and her husband, Dave Roberts, also cut the springs, gave the chassis an “aggressive alignment,” and installed some 17-inch alloys.
“It may not win,” she predicted, “but it will beat someone.” And it did, finishing 52nd in the 77-car field. She also won the Longest Drive Award for making the trip from Boulder, Colorado, to our Central Florida event in the Kia.
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.
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.
A 2 year old car entered the challenge!? And didn't even use the whole budget.
Mayhem.
In reply to nocones :
I know, right? I really appreciate the "I might not win, but I'll beat someone" attitude.
I'm going to try to apply that to my daily life somehow.
nocones said:A 2 year old car entered the challenge!? And didn't even use the whole budget.
Mayhem.
Pre-COVID used car prices for sure.
Probably helps that the MSRP for a 2002 Kia was somewhere around $1700 or so to begin with...
GCrites said:nocones said:A 2 year old car entered the challenge!? And didn't even use the whole budget.
Mayhem.
Pre-COVID used car prices for sure.
Man, I miss pre-COVID used car prices. 
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