PEOPLE'S CHOICE
CHAMPION VOTING
At the start of 2025, we introduced the People’s Choice Paddock fan-voted car show section. Now, all of the First Place winners from each city will compete against each other to be crowned People’s Choice Champion and win a grand prize!
Fans from all around the world can vote beginning mid-December for their favorite car! For now, check out the amazing builds and the drivers who brought them!
Tampa, FL Winner
Tampa, FL Winner David Beaton
I’m David, a retired Army veteran, lifelong car enthusiast, and proud uncle who never really outgrew being a kid at heart. After serving over 20 years, I finally invested in one of my dream cars: a 2019 Honda Civic Type R. With full-bolt ons, an upgraded turbo, and 475 wheel horsepower, it’s more than just a car—it’s a passion project I’ve poured countless hours of love and dedication into.
But what really makes it special isn’t just what’s under the hood. It’s the wrap. I teamed up with Redline Design in Tampa to create something no one else in the world has: a Lightning McQueen Civic Type R. The twist? It’s not the shiny showroom Lightning you see in the movies. I designed it with a rusted patina—because I always wondered: what if Lightning never learned Doc Hudson’s lessons? What if he stayed in the desert and rusted out? In many ways, that reflects me too: a grown adult still learning life’s lessons the hard way, but choosing to do it with humor, creativity, and a bit of flair.
The best part is what this car does for others. My nephews lose their minds every time they see it or ride in it. Little kids light up with joy. Grown men and women stop in their tracks, grinning like they’re 10 years old again. From toddlers to grandparents, this car brings smiles and sparks conversations.
That’s why I believe I should be the People’s Choice champion. Because my build isn’t just about horsepower or looks—it’s about connection. It’s about joy. And it’s about reminding all of us, no matter our age, that cars can still make us feel like kids again.
Radium Coolant Expansion Tank
HKS Legamax Exhaust
Radium PCV Oil Catch Can
Radium CCV Oil Catch Can
Chasing Js Titanium Fuel Pump Cover
Chasing Js Titanium Washer Reservoir Cover
Chasing Js Titanium Oil Fill Cap
MA Performance Oil Cooler
PRL Black Intercooler
PRL HVI Intake System w/ Carbon Cover
PRL Front Pipe
PRL Titanium Turbo Inlet Pipe
PRL Turbo Boost Pipes
PRL Catted Downpipe
PRL Rear Motor Mount
PRL Flex Fuel Kit
PRL Turbo Blanket
PRL Downpipe Blanket
Hondata ECU
Hasport Motor Mounts
Eibach Pro-Plus Kit Springs
Eibach Rear Sway Bar w/ Brace
19x8.5 Acura NSX Forged One-Piece Racing Wheels
265-35-18 Vredistein Performance Pro Tires
Rays Lug Nuts
Cusco Rear Brace
Drag Cartel Carbon Fiber Intake Manifold
Beat Rush Titanium Front Strut Bar
Brembo Brakes
Beat Rush Titanium Rear Strut Bar
HEL Steel Braided Brake Lines
JL Audio (3) RD400/4 Amplifiers
JL Audio 1500/1 Amplifier
JL Audio 12W7 Subwoofer
JL Audio C2 Component Speakers (Rear)
Blam Signature Component Speakers (Front & Center)
Helix DSP Ultra S
Helix DSP Director
West Palm Beach, FL Winner
Isaiah Valle
Hi my name is Isaiah Valle, I’m 23 years old, and I love building/racing cars. I’ve been into cars as far as I can remember. From playing with Hot Wheels, to building my very own “Hot Wheel”.
This car was inspired by an EG hatch my dad had back in the 90s. I couldn’t be more excited to build this car together with my dad. See, my dad struggles with anxiety, and this build turned out to be a healthy outlet for him during some of his deepest struggles.
I thought I was building a car for me, but it became something much bigger.
Towards the end of the build, we decided to create a race team that encompasses who we are and how we got here. Out of the feeling I get when I’m on the track and my dad’s struggle with anxiety, Heart Racing was born!
This build has become so much bigger than my original vision and I hope our story inspires others. I want people to know that anything is possible and love conquers all.
JDM k24a 2.4L
RBC Intake Manifold
Unit 2 Fab oil pan
Type S oil pump
50 degree VTC gear
Hybrid Racing pulley
Alpha Injection 750 injectors
Hybrid Racing fuel pressure regulator
Hybrid Racing fuel rail
Hybrid Racing thermostat
Hybrid Racing radiator hoses
CSF radiator
TracTuff Water neck
Spal fans
Hasport engine mounts
EFB Motorsports Headlight Intake
Circuit Hero spark plug cover
Thermal R&D 3in exhaust system
Hondata KPro
Rywire Mil Spec Wire harness
Hybrid Racing Jumper harness
AEM Air Fuel gauge
Ecliptech V2 Shift light
RSX Type S
Synchrotech carbon fiber synchros
MFactory LSD
Exedy Stage 1 Clutch
Competition Clutch lightened Flywheel
S2000 Clutch master cylinder
K Tuned slave cylinder
Fortune Auto 500 coilovers
16k Front and 9k rear springs
PCI front and rear camber kit
PCI lower rear control arms
ASR lower frame brace with 24mm rear sway bar
ASR rear sway bar endlinks
Beaks lower tie bar
DC Sports front strut bar
PCI rear trailing arm bushings
PCI front lower control Arms
PCI front Tie Rods
Hardrace front sway bar endlinks
Hardrace front sway bar bushings
Honed Development Front lower ball joint
Downstar shock tower extensions
17x10 & 17x8 Konig Hypergram
255/40 r17 & 225/45 r17 Falken RT660 tires
20mm front wheel spacers
15mm rear Wheel spacers
Wilwood 2 piece front rotors
Stoptech STR 43 Calipers
Hawk DTC 60 pads
StopTech steel braided lines
Wilwood Master Cylinder
Motul 600 fluid
Mutegi Wheel lugs
PCI splitter brackets
Professionally Awesome Splitter rods
PCI swan neck wing
PCI 4in side skirts
Tracklife fender cut outs
Circuit Hero rear tow hook
APR Side mirrors
Doryoku Front crash bar
Lifeline Fire Suppression System
Personal Blue stitching Steering wheel
AEM Oil and Air fuel gauges
Hybrid Racing RSX V2 shifter
Hybrid
Hybrid Racing shift knob
NRG quick release
Circuit Hero wheel hub
Mugen racing pedal
Racebreed foot rest
Eimeer Engineering Half Roll cage
Sparco seat frame
Sparco 6 point harnesses
Sparco Circuit II Driver seat
Sparco R100 passenger seat
MPC battery holder
240-WHP 190-TQ
Atlanta, GA Winner
Alexander Banks
Hi, I’m Alex and this is my 2019 Subaru WRX. This car was built as an autocross build initially to be a play on the 2000s Fast and Furious era and style. I had planned the build while I was in the Marine Corps but didn’t actually decide to get the car until years later. The car was built from bone stock to its current setup in about 5 months time. A large majority of the work was done myself with the exception of the pro tune. It’s the first car that ever gained sponsors for myself and the journey through building it.
IAG 800 block swap
Tomei EL headers
Awe track exhaust
Boostlab 58XR Turbo
HKS Bov
Koyo Radiator
Nitrous injection for anti lag
Perrin FMIC
Perrin dress up kit
Enkei ts9 wheels
Rally calipers w/ drilled & slotted rotors
Mishimoto hoses
Cobb intake
Custom pro tune
Gutted interior with half cage
Nrg prisma racing seats
Nrg 5 point harness
Deleted rear seats for nitrous kit
Nrg removable steering wheel
Fire suppression toggle switches in center cup holders
Los Angeles, CA Winner
Kevin Martinez
My name is Kevin Martinez and I’m the winner of Fuelfest LA 2025 with my Full Varis Widebody FK8 Type R. I’m just an ordinary guy with a huge passion for JDM car culture. Which led me to build my own show car. I’ve dealt with a lot of adversity growing up, and with cars, it was one of my biggest outlets to remain humble. I recently got serious about car building, a little over 2 years ago. 2 years ago was also when I picked up my Type R. I was inspired by so many other car enthusiasts who spent years building their cars which motivated me to focus on my own project.
The car started out as a OEM + type of build which later transitioned into a full on show car.
I built this car to show a different style to this chassis. Typically on this type of platform you will see full mugen kits, J’s racing kits, Varis kits, or a mixture of all of that. Which looks amazing. I took the approach to do the full Varis Widebody catalog and pair it with 3 piece BBS LMR’s which you don’t see commonly on this platform. A full authentic carbon fiber roof, front and rear BBK set up, custom paint job, and more! There’s a lot of detail we invested into this car that I guess people enjoy, which led us to get the recognition it got. Which I am truly grateful for and humbled by at the end of the day. I never thought car building will lead me to where I am today in the car community and for that, I am blessed.
Why I feel like I should win People’s Choice is as I mentioned before. I dealt with a lot of adversity growing up. I have this rare autoimmune disorder called alopecia universalis. A condition that attacks the hair follicles throughout my body, causing me to lose all my hair at an early age. I was about 1 years old when I was diagnosed. So growing up without hair especially going to school, I faced a lot of bullying. Physically, emotionally and mentally. I felt so out of place and alone from all the other kids and people. That’s where sports and car building came into play and gave me the confidence I needed. I want to inspire and show people that you can overcome any obstacles if you remain true to who you are. Never give up, even when you’ve fallen so deep. You don’t need to be dealing with the same condition I have but if there’s anyone out there who is going through life changing experiences or is just having a difficult time with life, I want to be the inspiration to those who are going through a rough time and let my story help. Just trust the process and the man above will guide us to where we need to be. Never lose faith. In the end, whether I win or lose, I just hope I can help at least, one person who reads this and gains the confidence/hope they need to keep going forward.
Thank you, and goodluck/congrats to all the winners!
Complete Varis Arising Widebody Kit (FK8)
Full respray custom color red with maroon
Fully custom genuine carbon fiber roof
Varis front bumper
Varis front and rear fender flares
Varis Front extension lip
Varis Full carbon hood
Varis Hood dampers
Varis Hood ducts
Varis Canards
Varis side skirts
Varis 1580mm GT wing
Varis half carbon rear diffuser
Varis carbon shift knob
Mugen Tailgate spoiler
Mugen Window visors
Mugen door protectors
Spoon windshield wipers
Alpharex headlights
Alpharex taillights
APR Full carbon vent replacement
APR Carbon license plate backing
Honda Access yellow fog lights
Carbon EPR ganador style side mirrors
Seibon full carbon oem diffuser replacement
Blitz rear garnish
Clear rear sequential reflectors
PRL rear windshield wiper delete
Revel GT carbon rear bumper appliqué
Dressupbolts black titanium hardware
JQ werks Mad Trace hub with Alcantara Mugen steering wheel
Vertex Turn signal extensions
Studio RSR 4 point roll cage
H3R fire extinguisher with quick release
Triple 7 front and rear door straps (gold)
EVS Rear Carbon seat delete
RTD new short shifter
Chasing J’s shift boot delete plate
Chasing J’s shift plate
Chasing J’s titanium bolt hardware (all over the interior)
Varis shift knob
Mugen start button
Bride Zeta IV sparkle back seats(driver and passenger)
Bride seat rails
Varis x Willans 4 point Harnesses
Zoom Engineering Carbon 240 wide rear view mirror
Sweidit full alcantara dash
Sweidit alcantara glove box
Sweidit alcanatara A pillars
Sweidit alacantara hood cluster
Sweidit alacantara gauge trim
Sweidit alacantara front and rear door sections
Sweidit alacantara full center console
Synth carbon steering wheel lay overs
Synth carbon door pillars
Synth carbon dash lay overs
Synth carbon L shape interior pieces
Mugen door cards
Mugen lower door protectors
Type r dead pedal
APR performance 3 piece carbon cooling plate
Spoon intake duct signed by Jomoto-San
JUN AUTO Valve cover
JUN oil cap
Greddy Clamps
Megalifebattery
PTP turbo blanket
Radium expansion tank
Chasing J’s Strut bar
Chasing J’s Radiator cap
Chasing J’s windshield washer fluid cap
Chasing J’s ECU cover
Chasing J’s fuse box plate
Chasing J’s engine coil cover
Chasing J’s accessory kit (bolts and washers to replace oem hardware around the engine bay)
Chasing J’s cooling plate hardware replacement
Chasing J’s strut tower nuts
Chasing J’s Brake master lid cover
Chasing J’s Valve cover hardware replacement
Yonristic full titanium valved exhaust
PRL high volume intake
PRL charge pipes
PRL intercooler
PRL flex fuel kit
PRL inlet pipe
PRL front pipe
Hasport motor mount
Hondata (custom tune on e30)
19” (19 x 10.5 +16) squared set up
BBS LMR’s (Champagne face, high mirrors polished lips, 3 and a half inch lips)
R1 Concepts front and rear big brake kit
Toyo R888R’s 295/30/19 squared
HKS Hipermax coilovers
SPC Camber arms
Salt Lake City, UT Winner
Anthony Cruz
My name is Alvaro Cruz Castro, I am 50 years old. I am from Mexico. I’ve been living in Salt lake City for 30+ years. I have a family of 7. I’ve always been a hard worker. I’ve been passionate about these cars all my life since 1985.
I chose to build this car when I first watched “Night Rider”, I still watch it to this day. It’s been a dream of mine to own one of these cars since I was young. This is a type of car you don’t often see around anymore.
I should be the People’s Choice champ because I have a very rare car in pristine condition. I’m glad I have the opportunity to show my car to the world with the help of Fuel Fest, and hope to inspire others to build and maintain classics. Appreciate you all, much love.
- Aftermarket heads
- Aftermarket headers
- Stage 3 cam
- Aftermarket exhaust system
- Custom tune
- Crager wheels
- Custom 12” subwoofer box
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX Winner
Brad Wilson
My name is Brad Wilson, and I have a 2021 Toyota Supra. I bought the car stock in 21’. I build this car to be kind of a mix of race car/show car. I use it for time attack racing and hpde events. I have entered it in many shows across north Texas and it usually draws people to it. I feel like it’s a subtle and effective tool to get people out there and get on track. With the sport growing recently in the last few years it helps inspire me to keep going. I have so many awesome friends that help me out and we have built a community in dfw that I haven’t seen before. It’s been an extremely rewarding journey with this car, learning about aerodynamics, car setup, and how to build your own aero parts. Cutting giants holes in a new car was nerve wracking haha!
- I made the splitter and floor
- Varis rear spoiler
- Wagner intake manifold
- Injen intake filter
- SPL bushings and control arms
- Eibach sway bar
- Girodisc rotors
- Hawk brake pads
- Goodridge brake lines
- TSW wheels
- Yellowspeed coilovers
- Invoke Concepts tail lights
- Catless and straight pipe exhaust
- Verus rear diffuser
- RaceQuip harnesses
- Sparco steering wheel
Phoenix, AZ Winner
Jose Flores
My name is JJ Flores aka theoriginal_BigPapi. I’m a retired Combat Veteran and I bought my Nissan GTR when I retired in 2015 and ever since then I have done and enjoyed almost everything with the GTR. From using it as a daily driver to racing it on the track for the Nissan TimeAttack Challenge to competing in car shows across California, Arizona, Texas. I’ve been blessed with having an opportunity to have my car displayed at SEMA 2017, 2019 & 2023
What got you into cars?
As far back as I could remember my dad always had a cool car and I remember spending time with him and cleaning/detailing the cars. As I grew up, the only real escape I had was jumping in my car with a full tank of gas and some good music. No better feeling. Cars are therapy for the soul.
Why did you build your car?
Plain and simple, I built my car for me. There’s a reason I first Daily drove my GTR. Then I wanted to see what the GTR was capable of, so I decided to track the car and compete in a couple Time Attack challenges. The GTR was wrapped with the Falken Livery. As most of you know when you race, things break. So I shifted my focus on turning the GTR into a show worthy opponent.
We ordered the Charge speed Japan Widebody kit and it took roughly 6 months for the kit to arrive. I was #2 to have ordered that kit. Charge speed is a very rare JDM manufacturer and not the typical Rocket Bunny, Liberty walk kits you see daily.
But the main reason I built my car is because my oldest son loved cars and he loved to help. My son passed away when he was 2 years old (3Feb2000-11March2002), and I always promised him that I would not settle for anything and continue to strive in everything I do. This was for him and I, passion over hype.
The GTR has a Chargespeed Japan Widebody kit.
Under the hood the 3.8L twin turbo V6 has Custom powder coated Boost logic intakes that are fed by a Super Race Front mount intercooler. Fuel is pumped through the dual Walbro fuel pumps and then the 1300cc injectors from injector dynamics do the rest. A Visconti flex fuel kit allows the GTR to run on either 91 octane or e85 for some added power. The GTR sports an HKS Legamax exhaust with 3” down pipes.
The transmission has been upgraded to a GR6/Drag800 which helps send the power to the massive 20x11 & 20x12.5 Savini Forged 3-piece wheels wrapped in Falken Azenis tires. The GTR rides on Bilstein Struts with Air lift performance bags and 3p system.
The interior has an upgraded 10” tablet integrated to support the ECUTEK tuning as well as Apple CarPlay , floor lighting and ceiling. The interior has been customized and sports a set of Sparco R333 seats. The trunk has been customized with all the trim and lighting to hold the 5gal seamless tank with 440 air compressors.
Most enjoyable part of ownership
Reliability and uniqueness. While there are many R35 GTRs out there I built mine specifically for me.