Doesn't have to involve large purses and prizes: witness the farce that is Pinewood Derby.
Oh hell yes. 😁
Friend of mine would bring me chunks of 2×4, I'd square it up to within a couple thousands of an inch, machine wheel well pockets into the sides, work my magic on the hole locations for the wheel axles and make the pockets for the weights in a specific location. He'd carve the body to scale, his son would sand the body to be able to say he worked on the car. Then it would go to a body shop to be primed and painted, Jim had another friend who had a vinyl printer who would make decals that matched factory offerings for the car. He did a General Lee and a TransAm that were perfect matches to the original.
I also had a handful of engineers that I would jig up their car bodies and install the axle holes in precise locations...
