Formula Drift Mustangs Finish the Season with Smokin’ Tires in Irwindale
It’s been a heated year for our favorite FD drivers, but overall these badass Mustangs made off pretty well this season.
The 2019 Formula Drift season concluded on October 19 at Irwindale Speedway in Irwindale, California. Though all three Mustang drivers made it into the Top 16 for the final round, two of them got knocked out early. Chelsea DeNofa, unfortunately, hit the wall during his Top 16 battle against Daijiro Yoshihara. Justin Pawlak had some mechanical issues that led to his loss against Michael Essa, who would then go on to defeat Vaughn Gittin Jr. in Round 8. Though this round didn’t pan out all that well for them, the season could have been much worse.
If you are a consistent reader of The Mustang Source, you should be quite familiar with these guys. Let’s take a closer look at each one of these beastly drivers, and recount how 2019 went for them.
Vaughn Gittin, Jr.
Gittin is known as “The Fun-Haver.” He and DeNofa compete in a pair of twin 900 horsepower RTR Mustangs. Rightfully so, as Gittin is the founder of RTR, a company started for designing, developing, and manufacturing performance packages for Mustangs.
Sadly, 2019 with Formula Drift didn’t wind up so hot for him. He did not see the podium once this year. Additionally, he faced a controversy with the judges during Round 5 in Monroe, Washington. In an Instagram video, he explains that he let off to avoid crashing into competitor Ken Gushi, who was drastically offline. Although he avoided the collision, the judges gave him an incomplete run for letting off the throttle. Gushi even admitted he wasn’t sure why he moved on instead of Gittin.
This year may not have panned out how he wanted, but Gittin still has a rich, respectable history in Formula Drift. In 2010 he podiumed at six of seven events and won the overall championship in an S197 Mustang. Additionally, he was titled “Ace Driver of the Decade” for having won more battles than any other Formula Drift driver in the first 10 years of Formula Drift. Still, despite his rough season, he took 10th place overall for 2019.
Chelsea DeNofa
DeNofa is still relatively new to the Mustang chassis. He joined team RTR for the 2017 Season. Previous to piloting the purple Mustang, his competition car was an E46 BMW. He is known for his flashy and stylish driving, and we’re more than happy to see him in a Mustang.
DeNofa made the podium twice this season. As a result, he finished 8th place overall for the season. However, his second podium of the season was a historic moment. In Texas, DeNofa took home his very first win with team RTR, as well as his first win in a Mustang. Additionally, his performance at Orlando landed him third place for the event. He had a great season this year, and we hope he progresses even further next season!
DeNofa has also drifted in 10 different countries and competed in various drifting series. Though his primary focus is now Formula Drift, he has been in the game for a very long time!
Justin Pawlak
Often known as “JTP,” Pawlak is the lone wolf of the Mustang group. He is not a part of team RTR and is not running a crazy naturally-aspirated engine. Instead, his Mustang is powered by a 5.0-liter Aluminator crate engine from Ford Performance and features a Roush Performance supercharger. It’s a beautiful thing, indeed. This blown Coyote makes some unforgettable noises! On top of that, Pawlak builds and maintains his own car. Between seasons, he tears everything down himself and prepares it for the next season.
JTP set a mark in history during the Formula Drift 2019 season in New Jersey. He put down an astounding qualifying run, which netted him a perfect 100 score. If you aren’t familiar with Formula Drift, this is only the second time it has happened since FD started. In fact, the last time it happened was in 2007. JTP finished 12th for the season, and we are excited to see what the future holds for him.
Overall, the Mustangs are on the rise in Formula Drift. They make for some crazy fun runs to watch, and they make all the noises a Ford fan could ever want to hear. If you aren’t into FD, we highly recommend you give it a look! In the case that you are near one of the events, we can not urge you enough to attend one. The full Formula Drift schedule can be found on their website.
If you just can’t get enough, check out more of the Mustang action from Formula Drift Irwindale Mustang, below!
Photos for The Mustang Source by Braden Carlson