Even though we tend to emphasize the Index Of Effluency winners, the team that takes the overall win at a LeMons race has accomplished the nearly impossible: keeping a $500 car running all weekend and avoiding penalties.
Just one slip and the overall win can slip out of a team's grasp; at race after race, the second- and third-place cars tend to be looming ominously in the leader's rear-view mirror, and we've seen several races decided by a fraction of a lap. These are the teams that had the skill, the luck, and the cool temperament needed to take the checkered flag at the 24 Hours Of LeMons in 2009.
Formula M For Mullet, Ford Mustang
Fox Mustangs haven't done so well, in general, at LeMons races, but the Mulleteers managed to keep their car from blowing up and/or crashing into other cars all weekend at the '09 Gator-O-Rama. Their car got around the track pretty well (although a four-banger Mustang was hot on their heels the whole time), and they took home the trophy.
Dorifto Dogs, BMW 325e
At long last, one of the hundreds of LeMons E30s finally won a race. Even though the Dogs had some white-knuckled moments during the last hour of the race, thanks to a fuel-starvation problem, they held off the competition and took the overall win at the South Spring '09 race.
Eyesore Racing, Mazda Miata
After contending in just about all of the West Coast events prior to the Goin' For Broken LeMons, Eyesore finally had all the breaks go their way, taking the overall win in their Ghettocharged '59 EldoradoMiata.
GT$500 Celica, Toyota Celica
After drag racing all night, the GT$500 team was ready for action at the Laissez Les Crapheaps Roulez LeMons, and they grabbed the overall win by a single lap.
Kielbasa Kids, Honda Civic
The Kielbasas came in 2nd in the first New England LeMons race, and at the '09 event they proved that you don't need triple-digit horsepower to win the race.
Mustard Yellow Volvo Doing 45 In The Fast Lane, Volvo DL
I'm sure almost all of you have read plenty about the car I helped build, way back when; head over to the Legends of LeMons entry for more info.
White Lightning, Mazda RX-7
After getting pardoned from The People's Curse (in which the first- and second-place cars got the most and second-most Curse votes, respectively), the chop-top Mazda went on to get the checkered flag at the South Fall '09 race.
Booby Prize Racing, Nissan 200SX SE-R
For the first time in LeMons history, a Nissan took the overall win! This car looked like a strong contender upon its first appearance at the Lamest Day, and the team did everything right.
Race Hard Race Ugly Soot, BMW 325iS
We saw another E30 win at the '09 Yeehaw It's Texas race. How? Same as ever: The Race Hard Race Ugly team stayed invisible out there, avoided trouble, and racked up endless medium-quick laps.
Pandamonium Racing, BMW 325i
Suddenly, the E30 teams seem to have worked out the bugs from their once-temperamental race cars, because we had three out of ten races won by E30s, after a three-year E30 victory drought. Pandamonium had the class to donate their original number 43 to the Über Birds, and this good karma helped them hold onto the lead all weekend at the '09 Arse Freeze-A-Palooza.