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Low-Budget, Last-Minute DIY Holiday Gifts
By Steve Luvender | Published: December 18, 2020 10
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Let’s face it: by now, it’s probably too late to order a holiday gift. You’ll have to take matters into your own hands if you want the perfect gift for the NASCAR fan in your life. Luckily, we’ve once again got some super-low-budget DIY options if you’re trying to save a few bucks, because everybody knows it’s the thought — not the gift — that counts.
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USB die-cast flash drive
How about a gift for the techie NASCAR fan? Take any old USB storage drive, bust out the hot-glue gun and attach it to the underside of a die-cast, then call it a day. Plug it into a computer and you’ll never lose your files. You just made a unique and practical gift!
How about a gift for the techie NASCAR fan? Take any old USB storage drive, bust out the hot-glue gun and attach it to the underside of a die-cast, then call it a day. Plug it into a computer and you’ll never lose your files. You just made a unique and practical gift!
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Virtual die-cast car
What’s the hottest gift for a NASCAR fan? A die-cast of their favorite driver’s car! But given the time constraints, you’ll have to get a little creative. Email a photo of a race car, dub it a “virtual diecast” and call it a day. It’s like the Zoom happy hour of collectibles. The virtual diecast won’t even take up any of their valuable shelf space, and you just saved yourself $80. Well done, gift-giver!
What’s the hottest gift for a NASCAR fan? A die-cast of their favorite driver’s car! But given the time constraints, you’ll have to get a little creative. Email a photo of a race car, dub it a “virtual diecast” and call it a day. It’s like the Zoom happy hour of collectibles. The virtual diecast won’t even take up any of their valuable shelf space, and you just saved yourself $80. Well done, gift-giver!
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Framed poster
There’s no need to wait for an expensive poster to arrive before the big day, courtesy of your friends at NASCAR.com.
Step 1: Go to NASCAR.com. (You probably have it bookmarked.)
Step 2: Click on Drivers and select a driver.
Step 3: Press the Print button in your browser.
Step 4: Put the printout into an 8.5×11 frame.
Done. A lovely, one-of-a-kind poster. If you REALLY want to class it up, throw some cardstock in the printer before Step 3. You could maybe even splurge on a color print if the gift is for someone special.
There’s no need to wait for an expensive poster to arrive before the big day, courtesy of your friends at NASCAR.com.
Step 1: Go to NASCAR.com. (You probably have it bookmarked.)
Step 2: Click on Drivers and select a driver.
Step 3: Press the Print button in your browser.
Step 4: Put the printout into an 8.5×11 frame.
Done. A lovely, one-of-a-kind poster. If you REALLY want to class it up, throw some cardstock in the printer before Step 3. You could maybe even splurge on a color print if the gift is for someone special.
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“Authentic” Ross Chastain watermelon bits
Look, it’s crunch time. If you’re desperate and you’re fine with lying to a Ross Chastain fan, here’s an easy project. When Chastain wins a race, he smashes a watermelon. That means little bits of melon are smattered all over the place — but nobody knows what happens after that. (Side note: why don’t we use melons instead of PJ1 track compound?) If you put a little bit of melon of your own into an airtight glass display case and call it authentic Chastain victory melon, will anybody really know it’s not the real thing? Instead, you just made somebody’s day by giving them some rotting fruit disguised as a racing collectible. Your secret’s safe with us.
Look, it’s crunch time. If you’re desperate and you’re fine with lying to a Ross Chastain fan, here’s an easy project. When Chastain wins a race, he smashes a watermelon. That means little bits of melon are smattered all over the place — but nobody knows what happens after that. (Side note: why don’t we use melons instead of PJ1 track compound?) If you put a little bit of melon of your own into an airtight glass display case and call it authentic Chastain victory melon, will anybody really know it’s not the real thing? Instead, you just made somebody’s day by giving them some rotting fruit disguised as a racing collectible. Your secret’s safe with us.
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Race-used ice pack
Yeah, it feels dirty that we’re continuing to grift with our gifts, but it’s guilt we have to live with for procrastinating this long. During hot summer races, drivers often cool off with plastic bags filled with ice stuffed into their fire suits. Fill up a Ziploc bag with water from the tap and there’s an awfully good chance your gift recipient will bat an eye when you tell them it was once stuffed down Denny Hamlin’s sweaty fire suit. Make up a story for how you got your hands on it and call it a day.
Yeah, it feels dirty that we’re continuing to grift with our gifts, but it’s guilt we have to live with for procrastinating this long. During hot summer races, drivers often cool off with plastic bags filled with ice stuffed into their fire suits. Fill up a Ziploc bag with water from the tap and there’s an awfully good chance your gift recipient will bat an eye when you tell them it was once stuffed down Denny Hamlin’s sweaty fire suit. Make up a story for how you got your hands on it and call it a day.
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Green flag
We may have hit a new low-budget record with this one. Have an old green t-shirt laying around? Cut off the sleeves and collar and you’re left with a big ol’ green rectangle — just like an authentic NASCAR green flag!
We may have hit a new low-budget record with this one. Have an old green t-shirt laying around? Cut off the sleeves and collar and you’re left with a big ol’ green rectangle — just like an authentic NASCAR green flag!
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Racetrack grass
Uh oh! Somebody’s favorite driver went for a spin and caught some of the infield grass in the process. Give the gift of some racetrack grass (in reality, grab a chunk of your lawn) and claim it was removed from the grille of their favorite driver’s car. How are they going to know the difference?
Uh oh! Somebody’s favorite driver went for a spin and caught some of the infield grass in the process. Give the gift of some racetrack grass (in reality, grab a chunk of your lawn) and claim it was removed from the grille of their favorite driver’s car. How are they going to know the difference?
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Ty Majeski’s iRacing rig
Interest in sim racing is surging right now, but you don’t need an expensive set-up to compete. Ty Majeski is a perfect example of this. He’s racing on a laptop that looks like it was found in a recycling bin with an entry-level racing wheel that was probably picked up for five bucks at GameStop. If Majeski’s the best-rated driver on iRacing with this rig, you can figure out a way to cobble something together for an aspiring iRacer using the stuff in the back of your closet.
Interest in sim racing is surging right now, but you don’t need an expensive set-up to compete. Ty Majeski is a perfect example of this. He’s racing on a laptop that looks like it was found in a recycling bin with an entry-level racing wheel that was probably picked up for five bucks at GameStop. If Majeski’s the best-rated driver on iRacing with this rig, you can figure out a way to cobble something together for an aspiring iRacer using the stuff in the back of your closet.
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Authentic-ish tire shavings
This one’s easy. Take a cheese grater to a tire (our lawyers insist you do not do this to a tire that’s actively in use on your car), collect the shavings in a plastic bag, then present the bag with a little white lie that the shavings are from this classic scene where legendary crew chief Larry McReynolds illustrated what the Atlanta Motor Speedway track surface will do to a set of Goodyear Eagles. If you really want to sell it, fire up Microsoft Word and whip up a certificate of authenticity. Good luck this year, gift-giver!
This one’s easy. Take a cheese grater to a tire (our lawyers insist you do not do this to a tire that’s actively in use on your car), collect the shavings in a plastic bag, then present the bag with a little white lie that the shavings are from this classic scene where legendary crew chief Larry McReynolds illustrated what the Atlanta Motor Speedway track surface will do to a set of Goodyear Eagles. If you really want to sell it, fire up Microsoft Word and whip up a certificate of authenticity. Good luck this year, gift-giver!