HondafestNW 2021

Aug 20

TEXT - Vinnie Nguyen, Ernie Ventenilla

PHOTOS - NWMotiv Staff, Alex Chac, Travis Cole, and Wutty Norng

COVID-19 this, pandemic that. That is what many of us have been hearing for over a year now. While all of us were doing our part to stay safe and to keep others safe, we were yearning to get back out there and interact with the community. I mean what is the fun of having a passion when we can’t share it with others right?

When we had to cancel HondafestNW 2020, it was disappointing, yet it was necessary. We didn’t know if we’d ever return to any sort of normalcy in 2021 and honestly, it wasn’t looking like it. Anticipating that the pandemic would stick around for a while, we worked with Pacific Raceways on securing a date that would give us a chance to host HondafestNW 2021. Luckily for all of us, we agreed on August 2021 as our date. The plans were set in motion and as the year went on, it was looking more and more like we were able to move forward with HondafestNW. Once we opened registration in June, it was like the flood gates had opened. Car show registrations were pouring in and it showed us that the community really wanted to get back outside. We were excited to see the fire within everyone and it dawned on us that with HondafestNW coming up and a few other shows taking place, car show season in Washington was back. We were pretty sure that the weather was going to be great since you know, August (more on this in a bit). By the time registration closed, we had over 240 car show competitors registered for the car show. This would be our biggest turnout of registered cars in HondafestNW history.

What’s funny is that you would think that August would be a safe bet for good weather, but we constantly have to remind ourselves that we live in WA and when it comes to weather, nothing is a safe bet. As it turned out, there was a severe thunderstorm weather warning 4 days leading up to the event. Funny right? We thought we were going to escape the uncertainty of rain or dry weather that plagued us like past years. We were constantly checking the weather forecast days and even hours leading up the event. It was constantly changing, as if Washington weather was toying with us. On the morning of the event, we woke up to rain and man, that was disheartening. But it was nothing we haven’t handled before. As we made our way down to Pacific Raceways, we saw that the roads were getting drier and drier. Finally, as we arrived at Pacific, it was all dry. GO TIME BABY!

Our team was quick to set up the show area and staging lanes and soon enough, show cars were rolling in right at 7am. Our staff did our best to quickly check everyone in and get everyone parked, though it did take a little longer than expected. With the most registered cars we’ve had in HondafestNW history, this was to be expected. By 9:30am, everyone was checked in and the announcement was made that judging was going to soon be underway. As we started to walk around to check on vendors and show car competitors, we saw smiles, conversations, and friends seeing each other again. It put smiles on our faces. This is the purpose of HondafestNW. This is the purpose of any events that we host. We strive to bring others together, to share their passions with one another. Yes, at a show like HondafestNW, we encourage healthy competition, but at the same time, we encourage everyone to share ideas, learn from one another, and create lasting relationships. That is what community is all about.

For the whole day, spectators and car show competitors alike participated in lead/follow and drag racing. Many of them had a blast. Not many people may realize, but being out on track for lead/follow, even if you are following a pace car is still being out on track. You’re able to open up your car and get a real feel of how it is to drive out on a real SCCA approved road course.

Pacific Raceway’s quarter mile drag strip is home to the NHRA Northwest Nationals – the largest motorsports event in the Northwest and we all had access to it. There were a lot of people take advantage of the drag strip and they getting in as many runs as they could. We saw various cars from CRX’s, to a Tesla, to even a Trailblazer SS racing on the quarter mile. What other car show gives you this opportunity? With HondafestNW being more than just a car show, we wanted to allow everyone to enjoy themselves because we’ll be honest, we know how long the day gets when you’re competing in a show.

While car show competitors and spectators were enjoying the event, our judges were busy with their tasks of judging show cars. Our judging is based on a points system and our goal is to have each competitor to gain as many points as possible. This means that our judges look over each vehicle meticulously, but we also make it a priority to speak to the owners. This allows them to inform our judges of any details they might have missed and earn as many points as they can. While it is still a competition, the main goal is creating relationships. This is the difference with our shows compared to other shows. We strive to cultivate relationships and bring the community together and by encouraging car show competitors and judges to speak to one another, they’re able to share their passion and knowledge. Car show competitors with builds at different stages are able to ask questions, share tips, and bond over builds with one another.

Our vendors played a big part in making the event a success and for this year’s HondafestNW, a few vendors came on board as sponsors for event shirts and awards.

Our first sponsor was Heeltoe Automotive! They came on board as our event shirt sponsors and with their partnership, every one of our car show competitors were able to take home awesome event shirts. If you guys didn’t know about Heeltoe Automotive, they’ve been serving the aftermarket performance since 2002 and they are your source for personalized Honda and Acura performance parts. Make sure you guys check them out!

We received a lot of inquiries about purchasing the event shirt, along with other merchandise and you can visit our shop to preorder them here!

Our other sponsor was Never Content! With their partnership, our competitors had the chance to take home some sweet trophies and for those who noticed, they were assembled with their newest dress-up hardware from their 7 year anniversary drop. For all of your Japanese street style automotive parts, apparel, and accessories needs, check them out!

A huge shout out goes out ALL of our vendors!

Direct Import Parts Shop

Our day ended with the awards ceremony and HondafestNW 2021 was in the books. It was a successful day not because of sunny weather, nor was it because of the amount of car show competitors. It was a success because the community was able to gather again. Relationships were created, awesome builds were brought out, and everyone had a great time. A huge congratulations goes out to all of the winners of the car show and we look forward to seeing you guys at our next event!