A Built-It-Herself Race Car Takes On The Track

Gracie Hackenberg, 21, a senior at Smith College in Northampton, Mass., on her 1999 Mazda Miata racing car, as told to A.J. Baime.

This weekend, roughly 40 teams from all over the country will compete at the Grassroots Motorsports $2017 Challenge at Gainesville Raceway in Florida. The basic rules are, you build a racing car for no more than $2,017, and that includes all the parts except safety equipment. Drivers compete in drag racing, autocross (racing one at a time through a course to see who’s fastest), and a concours…