Formula DRIFT: Chelsea Denofa Wins Again in Seattle

Round 6 of the Formula DRIFT Pro Class took place at Evergreen Speedway in Washington State this weekend. Chelsea Denofa won the competition in front of a sold out crowd. The event was filled with controversy as multiple drivers challenged judge rulings on the outcome of their run scores. This led to multiple “One more Times” over the course of the 30 driver bracket. the final 16 were decided at the half day’s mark. Although the last spot in the top 16 didn’t come without controversy. Branden Sorensen and Nick Noback went back and forth over and over again until a clear winner was decided. Both drivers had incomplete on previous runs. The race steward found that in the final run there were grounds for a redo. Thus they were able to preform additional runs to decide an outright winner. You can watch the events as they unfolded here:

Formula DRIFT Seattle Round 6: Throwdown

The top three finishers in Seattle were:

1.   Chelsea DeNofa (USA) – Pennzoil / BC Racing Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD
2.   Dylan Hughes (USA) – Whip Racing / Royal Purple BMW
3.   James Deane (Ireland) – AutoZone Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD

The judges issued eight requests for One More Time (requiring the drivers to repeat their two runs). Six of these fell to Hughes and DeNofa, who received three each throughout the day, putting the drivers, cars and teams under even more pressure. The was a bit of controversy regarding James Deane’s denial into the final. Many fans and drivers felt he won the semi final match up despite being declared the loser by the judges. Deane is currently the only RTR driver who has not won in 2023. RTR drivers have won 4 races this year in a dominant showing for 2023. After Denofa’s victory here is the points breakdown for the weekend and championship.

Formula DRIFT Seattle Round 6 Points

Formula Driver Pro Class Drivers Championship Standings