Chelsea Denofa Qualifies First, Finishes in Top 16 at Formula Drift New Jersey

12 Jun 2017

Chelsea Denofa piloted his RTR Mustang to a pole qualifying position at Formula Drift New Jersey

K&N-sponsored Formula Drift driver Chelsea Denofa earned his first career pole qualifier award at the Wall Speedway round of Formula Drift before finishing in the Top 16. This was the second consecutive Top 16 appearance for Denofa, who continues to improve his comfort and confidence behind the wheel of the Ford Mustang RTR drift car at the halfway point of the season. Denofa was happy overall with the finish despite some adversity over the weekend, and will push harder for improved results over the second half of the season.

Denofa started the weekend off feeling quite comfortable behind the Ford Mustang RTR, with changes between rounds being instantly noticeable. There’s a love/hate relationship between Denofa and the highly-banked Wall Speedway track as he has had several major crashes at the circuit over the years. Practice and qualifying went off flawlessly, with Denofa earning a 96-point run on his second pass that would take the top qualifier award, which came with a “bag of cash” from Black Magic tire care worth $500. The top qualifier also came with a bye directly into the Top 16, which turned out to be a huge stroke of luck.

Chelsea Denofa pitches his Ford Mustang RTR hard into the first turn at Formula Drift New Jersey

Late in Saturday’s morning practice session, Denofa would be involved in a collision with Jhonnattan Castro. Denofa was leading in the run when his car over-rotated coming off the bank at the ‘switchback’ in front of the main grandstands, and unfortunately Castro was unable to slow his car down fast enough, which caused a fairly major collision. Had Denofa not earned the top qualifying position, the team would have been on a major time crunch to get the front driver’s side suspension damage repaired in time, but the bye Denofa had earned gave the team an extra three hours or so. The Ford Mustang RTR drift team was able to make the repairs in time for the Top 16 opening ceremonies, which was a huge relief to Denofa as well as the fans.

In his Top 16 battle, Denofa was paired with 2011 Formula Drift champion Dai Yoshihara. Denofa lead the first run, putting down a great run with plenty of steering angle and tire smoke. Unfortunately, on the second run, Denofa would over-rotate in the same location as his practice crash incident, but thankfully would emerge from the spin unscathed as he was in the chase position. Yoshihara would earn the win, while Denofa knew he had a car that could have earned a stronger finish.

Chelsea Denofa transitioning off the bank at Wall Speedway in New Jersey

Denofa remains in 18th place in the championship at the halfway point, and will be pushing to improve that position over the final four events. In his first year as a part of the Ford Mustang RTR drift team, Denofa has showed continued improvement at each round. Taking his first top qualifier award was a huge step forward for Denofa and the team, and Denofa feels that the momentum is finally falling in his favor.

The next round of the Formula Drift series will take place at Autodrome St. Eustache just outside of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Chelsea Denofa and the Ford Mustang RTR drift team proudly use K&N air and oil filters on their drift cars.