A Northern California electric vehicle engineer has a hobby of growing giant pumpkins, and his 2,300-pound pumpkin won the jackpot.

Brandon Dawson, of Santa Rosa, Calif., claimed victory Monday in the 52nd World Pumpkin Welterweight Championship at Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco.

Dawson raised his arms in the air and sat his two children atop the giant pumpkin — roughly the same weight as a small sedan or a large bison — after being crowned this year’s winner.

“My mind is racing because I was in that situation last year when I lost 6 pounds (3 kilograms),” he said in an interview.

Dawson, a manufacturing engineer at electric vehicle company Rivian, said he has been growing giant pumpkins for five years. He said the precise skills he gained at his job helped him get the right irrigation and sunlight to help the pumpkins grow.

He said he enjoys involving his children in the process.

“We like to spend time in the patch and watch the thing grow,” Dawson said of his 2-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter.

“My 4-year-old can now really pay attention to the growth process,” he added, especially since giant pumpkins can grow by 50 to 70 pounds (23 to 32 kilograms) per day.

The pumpkin champion won a $20,000 prize for growing the largest pumpkin.

Dawson’s pumpkin was runner-up in last year’s competition at Half Moon Bay when Grown winning pumpkins By Minnesota horticulture teacher Travis Ginger, it weighed 2,471 pounds (1,121 kilograms).

Ginger, from Anoka, Minnesota, Setting a world record In the 2023 California Heaviest Pumpkin Contest when his giant pumpkin weighed 2,749 pounds (1,247 kilograms). Ginger’s pumpkin was damaged earlier this season and he was unable to participate in this year’s competition in California.

Two brothers in England earlier this month broke Ginger’s record with a pumpkin weighing 2,819 pounds (1,278 kg).