FuelFest Mid-Atlantic revs for Sept. 14 return to N.J. Motorsports Park
MILLVILLE - American car culture is in for an all-day celebration in less than two weeks at New Jersey Motorsports Park with the return of FuelFest Mid-Atlantic, a California-birthed event that channels the "Fast and Furious" movie vibe.
FuelFest Mid-Atlantic picked Millville last September for its first test of the Northeastern United States market. The one-day event drew about 7,000 people and there should be more this year, according to the park.
Co-founder Cody Walker, the brother of the late actor Paul Walker, and his fellow "Fast and Furious" actor Tyrese Gibson were in Millville for the inaugural event. Both are returning this year, with the 2024 show set for 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14.
“We’re very pleased that they chose to come back,” NJMP spokeswoman Briann Lund said Thursday. “And we’re hoping it can be an annual thing, too, because it does bring such a wide variety of people. We love to see it here.”
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Lund said FuelFest will take over all 1 million square feet of the NJMP’s Thunderbolt Track. The track is the larger, and freshly upgraded, one of two tracks.
A portion of the event’s proceeds go to Reach Out Worldwide!, a charity that Paul Walker started to help people in disaster areas. Admission begins at $35 per person, but kids 12 and under get in free.
There are more than 700 top-modified, exotic, performance-built and rare cars from all over the world expected. Among the exhibits will be the popular “Taste of Tokyo” display, and fans may get to see cars featured in the "Fast and Furious" movies.
There also will be roll racing and drifting on the Thunderbolt Raceway. Drivers, local and from across the nation, will race down the front straight throughout the day.
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The first FuelFest was in March 2019 in California, founded by Cody Walker and Chris Lee, but it also has traveled to Tokyo and London as interest has grown.
“And our racetrack, they saw as the perfect fit as far as how many people it can hold and how it can accommodate the roll racing and the drifting and just the massive car show that they have,” Lund said. “And this is a prime location between New York and Philadelphia and even some of Maryland and other places like that.”
Some VIP guests will meet Cody Walker in private, although not Gibson. They do pair up for some moments with the crowd, though.
“At the end of the event, they have this massive rally,” Lund said. “Cody and Tyrese get up there. They talk about the event. They talk about how much they’ve raised for Reach Out Worldwide!”
Tickets can be bought at fuelfest.com/new-jersey. Contact New Jersey Motorsports Park, at 8000 Dividing Creek Road ,at 856-327-8000 or njmp.com.
Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey 36 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.
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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: N.J. Motorsport Park bringing in FuelFest, Cody Walker, Tyrese Gibson
