Formula DRIFT has set the stage for another busy year, announcing a 2026 Competition Schedule that brings three new venues into the circuit. After a 2025 season that broke attendance and engagement records, crowned a five-time PRO Champion, and watched the youngest event winner in series history, the organization isn’t slowing down. Instead, it’s reshaping the competitive landscape with stops in Las Vegas, Boston-adjacent Stafford Springs, and Indianapolis.
The new calendar includes eight rounds for the PRO Championship, with Link ECU PROSPEC joining at select stops. Familiar tracks like Long Beach, Road Atlanta, Orlando, and Evergreen remain, while Englishtown slides off the schedule. In its place, Stafford Motor Speedway steps up as the anchor for the Northeast audience. According to President Ryan Sage, the changes reflect both necessity and opportunity.
“After the most successful season in our history, we’re embarking on our most ambitious schedule with three new venues,” Sage said. “We’ve come to some hard decisions but we’re confident this will strengthen the series as we strive to develop and promote the best drifting competition in the world. We proved last month with our new Long Beach venue for the PRO Championship Final, developing new venues can allow us to do something really special. And it’s with this in mind that we’re approaching Las Vegas and Indianapolis, in particular, where we have the opportunity to create venues that will highlight the sport and provide superb facilities for the fans.”
Stafford’s inclusion stems from timing issues during Englishtown’s acquisition process. With no available commitment, the search had to move on. Sage laid out the reasoning:
“As everybody knows, the arena at Englishtown Raceway was built for Formula DRIFT and it was always our intention to remain at the track. However, the facility is going through an acquisition process and we were unable to secure a commitment to our 2026 event date,” Sage explained. “With teams needing to budget for the 2026 season and our deadline to secure an alternative long-passed due, we knew a difficult decision had to be made. So, our major North-East event will be relocated to Stafford Speedway. We made the decision with sadness and not fully aware of the fate of Englishtown Raceway. But because we were unable to contract a date with E-Town, we were left with no choice but to ensure we could secure an East Coast event. And with Stafford Speedway, we have full confidence in the venue and staff to provide everything the teams, drivers and fans require for a killer event. Stafford already has the infrastructure to host Cleetus McFarland events and we’re happy to continue supporting a pillar of the US racing community, which relies on the existence of these regional tracks.”
From there, teams head to Indianapolis Raceway Park. The facility’s mix of motorsports history and robust seating makes it an attractive Midwest destination. Sage added:
“We’re really excited to bring the series to the home of North American motorsports. The City of Indianapolis and the surrounding area supports a strong Mid-West racing community and we can’t wait for them to see world-class drifting in their town.”
Later in the season, Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s Bullring returns to the lineup. Unlike the early-2010s parking lot setups, this time the facility gets long-term investment through a three-year deal. Paving upgrades and infrastructure improvements are part of the plan, reinforcing Formula DRIFT’s trend of helping modernize venues.
“Las Vegas has huge potential for Formula DRIFT and we’re excited to return,” Sage said. “We’re coming back under very different circumstances than before, and will invest in the infrastructure to ensure teams and fans can fully experience an FD event as it should be. Vegas has always been on our radar but up until now, there have been challenges in making our return. Conversations started when we were exploring options to replace Irwindale have led to an exciting opportunity for the PROSPEC Final and the development of the entire facility.”
Outside the new additions, the series keeps Long Beach at both ends of the calendar, opening the season on the Streets course and closing it on the Long Beach Shoreline Showdown street layout. Formula DRIFT has indicated the track may evolve year-to-year, similar to how Irwindale inched forward over time.
“Change can bring challenges, but the entire Formula DRIFT team is relishing the opportunity to collaborate with the new tracks, welcome new fans and continue to develop the best drift series in the world,” Sage concluded. “It’s always a major decision to move venues and we only do it when we feel confident that we’re improving the overall experience of the series. And we’re excited about what the 2026 season will bring.”
For now, mark April 10-11 as the return to Long Beach. Tickets, livestream links, and driver info remain at formulad.com.
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