Extreme Races You've Never Heard Of: From Soapbox Derbies to Gumball 3000

So, normal racing...cars go fast, sponsors, the whole deal. Sometimes, though, people get a little... creative. Here's the wildest races you've never heard of:

• The Fancy Soap Box Derby: Remember those as a kid? Red Bull took it to the next level. It's less about speed, more about INSANE homemade cars. Piano? Done. Corn on the cob? Yep. Heck, someone built the Golden Gate! Technically not an "auto race", but who cares when it's this fun?

• Ambulances... But Psycho: Imagine ambulances towing wrecked cars at top speed...on purpose. That was a real TV show. Why? Who knows, but I'd pay to watch it.

• Wine Country Cruisin'? There's this thing called the California Mille, fancy cars doing a 1000-mile road trip, hitting wineries along the way. Cool, but then there's the Melee: same route, pre-1975 beaters, but with BREWERY stops. Now THAT'S my kind of racing.

• For the TRUE Budget Racer: The 24 Hours of LeMons. LeMons, get it? Your car CAN'T cost over $500, or you get penalized! They even CRUSH one car mid-race, just for laughs. Brutal, but hilarious.

• The "Cannonball Run" Lives On: Remember that old movie? Turns out, there's this REAL high-stakes rally called the Gumball 3000. London to New York, Paris to Cannes, you name it. Pricey, but imagine the stories...

And that's just the start. Proves that racing doesn't have to be serious to be seriously entertaining!