2026 marks the first time since Formula DRIFT’s inception that the series heads to three all-new tracks in a single season. The new tracks include Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut, Indianapolis Raceway in Indiana, and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Nevada. Technically, FD has previously visited Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but this year, they will be drifting on a renovated Bullring oval, so it’ll be new for all drivers.
Speaking of ovals, all three tracks being introduced this year fall into that category. This was news that honestly didn’t sit too well with many fans of the sport, as FD was removing their stop at Englishtown Raceway Park, a Figure-8 ‘drift coliseum’, Utah Motorsports Complex, a fast road course, and Gateway Motorsports Park, which is an oval – but Formula DRIFT only ever ran the infield
A couple of weekends ago, FD headed to the first of the three new tracks, Stafford Motor Speedway.
FD (to my knowledge) has never visited New England in the US. While it’s been close in New Jersey and New York, this part of the country, despite having some amazing tracks, has always been out of reach for the series. Stafford is known for SK Modified racing, which is essentially a cheaper alternative to NASCAR’s Tour Modified racing. Drifting on this track, especially at a professional level, was unheard of before FD rolled into town.
With a group of driver liaisons, it was decided that the competitors would come off the track’s bank and run a more technical infield layout, which added an extra transition and an inner clip. Early on, some were skeptical about it. The drivers and fans definitely approve of the higher-speed layouts, and the added transition would definitely make for a slower lap. But, to counter that, a more technical layout also makes it harder for the lead driver to ‘walk away’ from the chase driver. It opens the door for tighter battles and also allows room for smaller mistakes to be made that won’t end a run.
Ultimately, after a few practice sessions, it seemed like the drivers liked the technical course. FD’s competition director even said it was the first time he didn’t receive a single complaint about the layout. Jack Shanahan, who finished 2nd, described it best. He said the initial bank was “all gas,” like many American oval tracks, which then leads to a tighter technical section, very reminiscent of European tracks.
Covering the race as the official photographer was quite a challenge, as it was a totally new track for me as well. With the limited shooting opportunities available across practise, qualifying, and the main event, I had to ensure that every spot I shot from delivered. While I did find myself in the wrong spot at a certain time of day more than once, overall, it was a rewarding track to shoot at.
The weather wasn’t really on my side on the first day of practice either; I had planned for an epic sunset shot in the morning but ultimately didn’t get one. The rain came about an hour before sunset, and while it didn’t hang around, it left the track completely soaked, leading to all of my planned sunset shots not having a single pixel of smoke in them. There’s always next year…
By the end of the night, the podium was made up entirely of Irish drivers. As it happened, they were the only three Irish drivers in the field. They also happen to be from the same small town in Ireland.
