Great news for Northeastern drift fans: Formula Drift has confirmed it’ll be running at Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut with a freshly inked three-year contract. The inaugural event this weekend broke records with a surprise layout, an at-capacity crowd, and an all-Irish Podium Finish.
Most people who are into cars are familiar with drifting by now. But for the uninitiated, Formula Drift (FD for short) is a bracket-style head-to-head judged competition based around four key elements:
- Speed: How fast and smoothly a driver can get through the course
- Line: Can a driver hit the pre-defined ideal path, mapped by the judges
- Angle: Ability to maintain a significant angle while in drift. The more angle, the better.
- Style: Showcasing driver technique, proximity to obstacles or competing cars, and mastery of the course.
At the end of the weekend, drivers are given a numbered score based on their final standings, which contributes to their overall season rankings. At the end of the season, the driver with the most points is crowned “Pro Champion.”
Formula Drift had a lot to prove this weekend as it unveiled its first of three new stops this year in its eight-round series. This meant skipping legendary spots like Old Bridge Raceway Park, the birthplace of drifting in the USA, as the New Jersey track owners were unable to commit to a contract, likely due to recent zoning issues the track has been facing. This opened the door for New England, a long-standing underdog in vibrant car culture, and near Lock City Drift, one of the biggest grassroots drifting communities in the nation.
“We want to make this track our new home for the Northeast”, said Bryan Olfert, director of Sales and Partnerships at Formula DRIFT, as he explained his excitement for signing a 3-year contract with Stafford Motor Speedway.
“We’ll identify areas, whether it’s on track to develop a more dynamic course, or off track, and create a better fan experience or better paddock for our teams or our partners.”
Formula DRIFT has been steadily growing over the years as it sits at the intersection of car culture, fan-relatability, social media virality, and grassroots motorsport accessibility.
During the race weekend, I got a chance to shadow the RTR Team, famous for its Ready-To-Rock Mustangs. “I’m most excited that this track is an even playing field for all the drivers,” said Cody Pennell, Director of Motorsports at RTR.
A new track meant newer drivers like RTR’s Ben Hobson (who has had an uphill battle for points this season) had a better shot at scoring higher against seasoned veterans who have a seat-time advantage, having run the same tracks for more than a decade.
The hunch paid off with multiple upsets across the field of drivers, and Ben Hobson achieved a final-four, his highest ever in his PRO career. We also saw an all-Irish Podium, with RTR Driver James Deane now leading the season with a 22-point advantage:
- 1st Place: James Deane, driving the Pennzoil Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD
- 2nd Place: Jack Shanahan, driving the Pulsar Turbos BMW 1-Series
- 3rd Place: Conor Shanahan, driving the Red Bull / GT Radial / JYR Toyota GT86, and younger brother to Jack Shanahan.
We are officially halfway through the 2026 Formula DRIFT season, with the next stop another new track at the end of July.
Full disclosure: Pennzoil, sponsor of both Formula DRIFT and RTR, invited me to the event this weekend and paid for my ticket.