Prince George's Co. man emotional after winning new car in Washington Auto Show 'Hands On' contest
WASHINGTON - One Maryland man is leaving the Washington Auto Show with his own set of wheels.
The ten-day-long event brought visitors to the Washington Convention Center for a chance to see the latest model cars, plus some historic models on display. But one of the big events of the weekend ended Sunday afternoon.
The annual "Hands On" contest began on Tuesday and for five days participants had to keep their hands on a brand new Hyundai.
A number of people managed to hold on and do it, and each contestant was given a key.
If their key turned on the ignition, they won. Russell West of Bowie is this year's winner, and this meant the world to him and his family. West tells FOX 5 says his family were the real winners for supporting him.
"When my car broke down the beginning of the year, I applied for 'Hand On.' My wife was like 'Oh, you got a one in a million chance to get it' but then, when they gave us a call, it was like 'Let's do it.' And I thank my wife because it's been five days of me away from home. Her, with three kids, and I thank her, she's a winner today."
West says his strategy of winning was to make sure he held onto one of the wheels of the car even when he fell asleep.