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FuelFest car show, inspired by the “Fast and Furious” films, is coming to Irwindale Speedway for its fifth year, next Saturday, June 2.
Hosted by the “Fast and Furious” star Paul Walker’s brother, Cody Walker, and Tyrese Gibson, FuelFest will feature live music, racing, drifting, ride alongs, art showcases and more than 600 rare and exclusive cars.
Walker, who helped complete the final scenes for his brother’s character, Brian O’Conner in the “Furious 7” film following his death, spoke to KTLA about what fans and attendees can expect at FuelFest.
“It’s a celebration of the car culture,” Walker said. “So if you like car shows, if you like motorsports, if you like a concert, it’s all there at FuelFest. It’s just an incredible event. I’m very fortunate to be able to continue doing the shows all across the country and returning to L.A. where it all started five years ago at Irwindale Speedway.”
Launched in 2019, the first FuelFest was held in Anaheim as the “In Memory of Paul Walker” car show. Since then, Walker has expanded the event globally, with shows in international cities including Australia, Hong Kong, China, Japan.
Walker says fans can expect to see a top 16 drift competition and monster trucks at this year’s car show. Attendees will also have an opportunity to sign up to do ride alongs with some pro drivers.
Special guest stars from the “Fast and Furious” films including and Vin Diesel, Sung Kang and Ludacris and have attended previous shows and with this year’s show taking place in L.A., fans can look forward to some exciting surprises.
“You never know who you’re going to see,” Walker teased. “We are in L.A. after all and this is a really big show for us. You never know who else might drop by. That’s all I can say about that.”
In light of some of the growing concerns of dangerous street racing in L.A. that may be inspired by the action-packed film series, Walker says FuelFest exists to provide a safe place for car racing enthusiasts.
“We dont condone street racing whatsoever,” Walker said. “What we’re doing with FuelFest though is that we are creating a safe, responsible place for people to come and get that out of their system. FuelFest is where you can come, safely enjoy the spectacle of the racing, and even go for ride alongs in the cars, and meet other gear heads, motor heads, and people that just love the movies.”
Walker is keeping his brother’s legacy alive by donating a portion of the event’s proceeds to the the non-profit founded by Paul, Reach Out Worldwide.
“Being the youngest brother of the family, we were 15 years apart so he had a huge impact on me,” Walker said. “A piece of him that he left behind is of course his charity Reach Out Worldwide that we do support through FuelFest. We’ve raised over $300,000 for his charity through FuelFest to date and we’re very very proud of that. It’s awesome to see it continue to live on and thrive almost 10 years after his passing.”
Paul was best known for his role as Brian O’Conner in five of the “Fast and Furious” series’ six films. He passed away ten years ago on November 30, 2013 in a single car accident.
To learn more and purchase tickets for FuelFest, visit www.FuelFest.com
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