Good news! The guy I was competing with messaged me and said he didn't mean to win the way he did, and that he would message the car dealership and tell them I deserve the victory. Much respect to him for doing so.
This won't guarantee me the grand prize of $2500, because the car dealership gets two votes towards the grand prize along with my vote, but I'll have a really good chance of winning it.
Either way, I'll probably at least buy myself a new t-shirt or hoodie to rep OCR with, in thanks for the support.