No trophy, no flowers, no flashbulbs, no wine.
He’s haunted by something he cannot define.

                “The Distance”, Cake, 1996

The economy, it seems, is on everyone’s mind.

With the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the trouble with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the high price of gas, the changing job market, the bailout, and the bickering between McCain and Obama about Joe the Plumber, I can’t really blame anybody for thinking about a buck these days.

The same goes for the competitors in the Grassroots Motorsports Magazine $2008 Challenge at Gainesville Raceway. While not really a political event, the value of a dollar was on the mind of every racer. That’s because to get in the show, the price of your car has got to be low. Unlike a major race team, like NASCAR’s Hendrick Motorsports (at least $16 million per car) or Formula One’s Ferrari team (I think the Space Shuttle costs less), the teams are limited to just $2008 to build their cars from initial purchase through any mods put on the car.

Two thousand dollars? I bet some people spend that in gas a year – easily. But build a racecar on two grand? You’d have to be pretty budget savvy to win – no, compete in – this shindig.

Creativity and frugality, I was told, are key to having a shot at the cup at the end of the day. Want a rear wing for your car? Make it out of a road sign. Some new gauges? Soup cans. How about engine mounts? Go to your local sporting goods store and drill some holes in hockey pucks. Making do with what you got, according to the racers, is much better for one’s budget than buying new. Maybe there’s something to be learned from that while we throw around terms like recession and depression.

So while John and Cindy McCain are visiting NASCAR races to rally the base, maybe they should check out what a few down home racers are doing on a lot less dime – while still lowering their times, I might add:

For the full event results, visit http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/events/2008-challenge/results/