24 Hours of LeMons is an unusual racing outfit. It is endurance racing for $500 cars. Essentially, you can bring out any vehicle priced under $500 and race it, endurance style, against other $500 cars. The only thing reliable in these vehicles is the safety equipment, which does not factor into the $500. If the vehicles don’t just quit and die on their own, you have a host of other dangers with which to contend.
Though not a contact sport, there is a lot of bumping and paint-trading. Then, there’s always the chance of rounding a corner and seeing the dead, smoking Pinto in your lane. Even if you survive that, there’s always the chance that your vehicle will be elected to be singled-out and demolished by the event judges and their steamroller. And let’s say you run this gauntlet, take the lead and win the race. You’ll get your $1500 prize money in nickels.
Some of you might be wondering, “well, how would they know if I cheated and brought in a more expensive car”? You can try, but they have rules to beat that. Their panel of judges will fine you one lap for every $10 over $500 they believe you have spent. Also, since it is a “claiming race”, any organizer reserves the right to purchase your car from you for $500 at the finish. So, that sneaky $3000 you put under the hood will be forever lost.
