Spearheaded by his youngest brother Cody, FuelFest began in 2018 as a one-off opportunity to raise money for the late actor Paul Walker’s nonprofit organization, Reach Out WorldWide (“ROWW”), and has grown into an international phenomenon set to roar into Tampa for the first time.
FuelFest—which happens at the Florida State Fairgrounds on Saturday, March 1—provides a singular experience for anyone and everyone who loves cars, whether gearheads, enthusiasts, or amateur street racers, as well as a chance to hobknob with both stars (Tyrese Gibson) and vehicles from the $7-billion-plus grossing “Fast and Furious” film franchise, which Paul Walker and Vin Diesel launched in 2001. Paul starred in six of the franchise’s 10 movies before his death in 2013 in an automobile accident. “It’s easy to call FuelFest a car show,” Cody told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “We like to say ‘automotive festival.’ There are so many things going on. There is your car show area, fun media interviews and Q&A’s with notable people from the car world, a big music stage, live sets, special guest appearances, motorsports with drifting, sometimes a competition and not just an exhibition, and also ride-alongs so people can go for a ride with vetted drivers.”
More than that, FuelFest has become a vehicle itself to raise money to help others in need.
When Paul died, Cody was working as a paramedic in Oregon. Someone needed to continue Paul’s legacy, so Cody stepped up to assume oversight of ROWW and today serves as its CEO.
“Our mission is going in to put boots on the ground and helping communities after natural disasters,” Cody said. “We’ve traveled to various different parts of the world and all across our beautiful country from hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes, earthquakes. Obviously, the most recent here is wildfires.”
Such work takes resources, though, which prompted Cody to think outside the box about fundraising in 2018.
The very first event wasn’t called FuelFest; it was a labor of love made possible by calling in favors, Cody said.
“We raised $75,000 for ROWW,” Cody recalled. “I said to myself, I’m going to create a big event, higher production value, and hire people to put on multiple events per year and we will generate way more for ROWW.”
Seven years later, FuelFest has raised more than $600,000 for ROWW, and created an experience for film fans and car fans alike. In 2024 in West Palm Beach, the event drew 23,000 attendees, Cody said, which prompted discussion about adding a second location in the Sunshine State.
“Obviously, you guys have awesome cars in Florida,” Cody said. “A rich car culture in Florida.”
“People don’t really understand. How is this possible? These are just my friends. They’re doing this because they want to,” Cody said. “I’m very fortunate. It’s so cliched, ‘Fast and Furious’ and family, but it really is. All these people, we’ve all grown up together.”
For Cody, one of the highlights of every event, he said, is meeting people who have been impacted by his brother’s performance as Brian O’Conner, which begs the question of what Paul would think about FuelFest.
“I think first of all, he would be blown away that ROWW still exists and so many people have worked so hard to see it through. He would think that was just nuts. He would be so proud,” Cody said. “I meet people all the time that are anywhere from 18-to-50-years-old, the movies have been out for so long, who go, ‘I wasn’t a car guy until ‘Fast and the Furious’ and your brother’s character was the shit and got me into it. “So many stories that I could share that people have wanted to share with me.”
Cody said he never grows tired of hearing such reactions, in part, because he understands the impact.
“I was in middle school when OG ‘Fast and the Furious’ came out,” Cody said. “He’s the reason why I became a car guy. When people share their story with me, I look them in the eye and go, ‘Me too.’ That’s why I had any interest in the world to create FuelFest.”
Tickets to FuelFest happening at Tampa’s Florida State Fairgrounds on Saturday, March 1 are still available and start at $30.Readers are invited to submit their own events to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s things to do calendar.
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This article appears in Feb 20-26, 2025.