Chelsea DeNofa is Crowned Formula Drift Champion

The 2023 Formula DRIFT season has concluded. Irwindale offered an initial shock when Chelsea DeNofa was knocked out of the Top 32 competition in the first round. He suffered from a failed nitrous injector. Of the championship contenders both Matt Field and Simen Olsen we also eliminated before the final 8 and due to the maximum points they could attain falling below DeNofa’s championship point count. DeNofa clinched the title without having to make it into the top 16.

DeNofa has dominated in 2023 winning 3 competitions this year for the RTR Motorsports.

Chelsea DeNofa stated after the conclusion of the competition, “I’ve been drifting for 20 years, with 12 years in Formula DRIFT, and you want to win this Championship. The team and I all worked super-hard and we did it! It’s nuts!” an emotional DeNofa said from the podium. “Coming to this event I realized it might actually happen. But I’m leaving the series and if I didn’t win I’d look like an idiot and be wanting to come back for the rest of my life! But the Championship was the goal. In everything I do for the rest of my life, the first thing that goes under my name is Formula DRIFT Champion. And that’s the best!”

DeNofa continued

“I owe it to everyone for getting me here and getting me through the bad weekends. I can’t wait to share what I’ll be doing in the future and drive like a maniac as I always wanted to! When you win one event you realize it’s what you want to keep doing but it requires effort, a plan, a team, crew, engineer, spotter, truck driver; and we did it! To leave my last Formula DRIFT Round with a Championship feels unreal. It’s been an awesome year with three wins, some mistakes, some great battles, and ultimately we ended up with the trophy. So, thank you Formula DRIFT and everybody who’s been a part of the series and my career for the past 12 years.”

Words from the President

President, Ryan Sage added his comments on the close of the season, “Every year at Irwindale there seems to be a standout driver who didn’t achieve great results during the season but comes through at the Final event. And this year it was Nick Noback. He qualified first and beat Odi Bakchis in the Final. While Odi in second place secured second in the Championship, bumping Matt Field to third. But DeNofa managed to take the title after all the drama – his first and possibly last Championship. Congratulations to all the drivers in what’s been an amazing 20th season. And let’s do another 20!”

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