A Cybertruck and Lamborghini recently took over a block of Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) in Tysons for a brief speed contest.
One video of the race, which only lasted about five seconds, has accumulated over 57 million views on Twitter since it was posted early this morning (Tuesday), drawing the attention of Tesla and Twitter owner Elon Musk.
“CYBERTRUCK SMOKES LAMBO… Dang…” Mario Nawfal, a controversial cryptocurrency consultant and host of the Twitter-based podcast “The Roundtable Show,” said in the 2:36 a.m. tweet shared by Musk.
“Cybertruck can beat a Porsche 911 while towing a Porsche 911!” Musk wrote in the quote tweet, evidently referring to a video in Nawfal’s replies that shows a Cybertruck racing a Porsche.
Cybertruck can beat a Porsche 911 while towing a Porsche 911! https://t.co/iNTaF2V1xt
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 29, 2024
The original video of the race was taken by @sebas.media and posted on Instagram by @ccj_media, a photographer and videographer who says he owns the video. CCJ Media also posts media from car events on TikTok and YouTube under the same handle.
Though he posted the video on Oct. 23, CCJ Media tells FFXnow that the race actually took place on Oct. 13.
(This article originally credited the race video to a Twitter user. It has been updated with the correct attribution and the timing of the race. FFXnow apologizes to Sebas Media and CCJ Media for the error.)
In the 29-second video, the driver of a blue Lamborghini convertible is seen coming down Westwood Center Drive near Tysons West and turning at Leesburg Pike without stopping, despite a red light. After the car pulls up alongside a gray Cybertruck waiting in the intersection at a crosswalk, the drivers tear down the block before stopping behind waiting traffic at the Spring Hill Road intersection.
The video shows a crowd of people watching the race from the sidewalk, spilling into the right eastbound lane of Leesburg Pike. Many of them have their phones out to record.
Despite the attention that the video of the race has drawn online, the Fairfax County Police Department says it didn’t receive any reports and wasn’t even aware of the incident until FFXnow reached out for comment.
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention,” the FCPD’s public affairs bureau said.
Fairfax County police seek tougher penalties for car meet participants
Organized street racing and car meetups involving aggressive driving have become a top concern for law enforcement in recent years. This spring, Virginia State Police intervened in an alleged drag race on I-395, leading to a multi-vehicle crash, and at least three people were arrested for a March 31 “street takeover” in Springfield after a police officer’s cruiser got mobbed and another officer was hit by a driver fleeing the scene.
The FCPD saw a “significant increase” in street takeovers and stunt driving incidents at the end of 2022, where drivers would take over a street or parking lot and “begin doing donuts and burnouts,” Assistant Chief of Police for Operations Robert Blakely told the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors at a legislative committee meeting this morning.
According to Blakely, an ad hoc task force to handle these incidents at the beginning of 2024 has been effective at preventing potentially dangerous gatherings, but the FCPD is seeking more authority from Virginia to crack down on participants, including organizers and spectators.
Under Virginia law, street racing is prohibited as a form of reckless driving, and those who support or organize a race could be found guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor, even if they’re not racing themselves. As part of its legislative package for the 2025 General Assembly, Fairfax County officials plan to advocate for a similar ban on aiding and abetting the exhibition or stunt driving seen at some car meetups.
“Our suggestion or proposal essentially adds language in the racing statute that supports our ability to charge everyone involved in these activities … and significantly increase the penalties, which includes vehicle impoundments and things like that,” Blakely said.
A couple members of Fairfax County’s General Assembly delegation have already expressed interest in carrying the bill, though the language hasn’t been finalized yet, according to Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw, who chairs the legislative committee.
The proposal could resemble a Maryland law restricting car meetups that took effect this summer, increasing penalties for exhibition driving after two different car meetups in Prince George’s County led to fatal shootings.
Walkinshaw stressed that car meetups aren’t inherently problematic, as Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay noted that some are community or charity events. Rather, the legislation will specifically target events where participants know “there will be dangerous and illegal activities taking place.”
“We’re talking about going to Richmond to get some stronger tools to address it, but it’s important to know we already have some tools,” Walkinshaw said. “So, if you’re out there thinking about participating in one of these events in Fairfax County, you very likely will be charged with a crime, because people have been and we’ll continue to do that. It’s unacceptable in our community to be participating in these kinds of events.”
Hat tip to Dan Lam. Screenshot via @ccj_media/Instagram.
