Formula DRIFT is now three-quarters of the way through its 2026 season. For the first time since its inception, the series had to cancel a round during the last stop in Indianapolis after extreme weather turned the infield course into a lake. After trying to pump thousands of gallons of water out for a solid six hours, FD had no choice but to call time on the event.
From the worst weekend ever in Indianapolis, the championship jumped to Seattle, Washington, for Round 6: ‘Throwdown’. Quick spoiler alert: it was a drama-free weekend, relative to the previous round – something everyone involved in FD needed.
Heading into Seattle, the Formula DRIFT team decided to change things up. The event here in the PNW usually happens during the day, with podium celebrations normally held around sunset or dusk. This year, the schedule was altered so the Evergreen Speedway event could run at night. This wasn’t previously possible, but the track recently added extra lighting to accommodate evening racing on its oval layout for the NASCAR Local Racing Series.
This event always sells out, and nothing changed in 2026. If anything, though, the crowd seemed a little more rowdy in the dark.
The additional floodlights above the main grandstands added so much depth to my night photos. During tandem battles, the first run would lay a layer of smoke across the stands, creating amazing scenes during the second run of each battle. The diffusion looked incredible, in my opinion, and it was obviously something we couldn’t capture in previous years.
We also had a special guest on the grid. Normally, Hiroya Minowa pilots his VR38-powered Jerry Yang Racing Toyota 86, but as he was in Finland competing in Gazoo Racing’s WRC Challenge Program, his father, Shinji Minowa, took his seat.
I was excited to see Minowa Snr. out there, but I also knew it would be a challenge. Formula DRIFT is quite different from FD Japan in terms of rules, tracks, and driving styles across the field, and the current field of drivers is incredibly close in skill. This was Shinji’s first FD Pro event in the US, and I believe his first time driving on a banked track. Evergreen Speedway has one of the fastest entry speeds of the championship, with drivers hitting triple-digit speeds.
It was nice to see Shinji adapt to the car, but he ultimately drew the short stick and ended up matched against Conor Shanahan in the Top 32. Shinji did what he could, but he was no match for Conor, who is currently sitting second in the championship standings.
Moving on to the points battle, some changes are definitely making the 2026 FD Pro Championship more interesting. Odi Bakchis was leading the points race heading into Seattle but suffered a mechanical failure during his Top 32 battle. This pushed James Deane into the lead, but instead of taking the points lead and running away with it, the defending champion lost his Top 16 battle to Matt Field.
This basically opened the door for others to close the gap to the Top 3. Conor Shanahan won the opening FD Pro round in Long Beach with his new team at Jerry Yang Racing, but his FD Orlando event earned him zero points, so he dropped back in the standings. Conor clawed his way back, got the job done, and won in Seattle, bringing him to within about five points of James Deane.
Another story worth mentioning is Branden Sorensen’s hectic season. He’s had a fourth-place curse on him and couldn’t seem to shake it. Branden has been performing quite well throughout the year, but because of his ‘curse,’ he’s been somewhat out of the limelight. Still, because he’s been so consistent, he’s been hovering in the Top 5 all season. After a great qualifying result, he finally got on the podium in Seattle. He’s currently in third place in the standings, just 24 points behind James.
With just two events left in the 2026 season, it’s really anyone’s game at this point.
For the first time in over a decade, Formula DRIFT returns to Las Vegas later this month for Round 7. This will be Branden Sorensen’s first-ever home event, so it will be interesting to see if he can use the hometown advantage to bring his first-ever round win. Realistically, though, any of the Top 20 Pro drivers can take the top step of the podium on any given weekend.
Will James lock in another championship and solidify his G.O.A.T. status? Will Conor take down his mentor and claim his first FD title? Or will Branden somehow win the championship without a single event win?
Jack Shanahan and Odi Bakchis are also within striking distance of the Top 3 contenders. With the Irish’s reputation, James and the Shanahan brothers will definitely be ones to watch. And with Odi almost always in the Top 3, you can never really discount him, as he is one of Formula DRIFT’s most lethal chase drivers.
Then there’s Fredric Aasbø, who’s had quite the season, arguably his worst yet. But “The Norwegian Hammer” has somehow capitalized on his good weekends and is currently sitting sixth overall. Fredric is 37 points back, but with three championships under his belt, you can never write him off.
Formula DRIFT ‘High Stakes’ in Las Vegas is going to be good!
