Following a strong performance at the inaugural round of DIGP back in April and a first-place finish up at the M1 Concourse for Round Two, Roy Outcalt has planted himself atop the season rankings. With the final round less than a week away, he’s looking forward to pushing hard to try and fight his way to a second-straight podium finish and to writing his name into the drifting history books as the first-ever DIGP champion. All he has to do is put down a near-perfect heater in qualifying for the chance to battle his way through a gauntlet of some of the best drifting talent in the Midwest. Easy, right?
Regardless of how the weekend goes for him, it’s a safe bet he’ll be cheering on the rest of the field with a smile on his face. We spoke with Roy to learn more about what first got him into drifting and to see how he’s feeling ahead of No Star Bash and Round Three:
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What’s your background like? How’d you get into cars?
So I grew up in Dayton, Ohio. My father was an automotive technician at a couple different dealerships as I was growing up, so he always had cars, you know, in and out of the house. He did side work and he was very into drag racing, so from a young age I was in the drag racing scene. You know, I was watching him and helping him, learning about cars, so I definitely was heavily into drag racing and had that muscle car influence.
I actually started drag racing before I even got my driver's license. I was drag racing my dad’s ‘71 Chevy Vega, which was really fun. Then I worked for him, he started his own automotive business in 2011. Roy's Automotive is what it's called. And we've been charging hard ever since.
So that's kind of where I got my automotive influence and know-how to do everything, but I guess I've known about drifting since around middle school. I don't know the exact date, but around middle school, I was on Forza Four pretty heavily, drifting with my buddies on there, and I was even doing some, like, online drift competitions on an Xbox controller, doing those for a long time, and my car then was an E46, so, naturally, I was like, “man, I really want to do this.”
But, when I was younger, I thought there's just no way that somebody like me could go in and drift, you know? There's nothing at the time, you know, there was really nothing local I had heard of. At the time, I think it was MDU, but I didn't really know of any local events.
There definitely wasn't anything going on at Kil-kare or anything. But right after high school in 2017, I went to a Formula Drift event at Road Atlanta, and on the way home actually made a deal to buy an E36. It was pretty much going to be a drift car right off the right off the rip.
I put a handbrake in it and some simple angle kit mods, at the time, I think it was just the CNC adapters or whatever the eBay version of that is, and for the first time, I was like, “wow, I can actually do this,” and I went out to a test and tune and was able to do it and then did my first actual drift event in late 2017 I think.
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I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again, the son of a muscle car-loving dad to drifter pipeline is flowing nice and strong.
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Oh yeah, I played a ton of Forza Four. What was that mountain map called? Fujimi something?
Kaido. Fujimi Kaido. Yep, we would do stuff on there, and then we would always drift Tsukuba too, and we would do competitions there.
That’s sick! So first real event was 2017, and you had done a few Test ‘n Tunes, how’d that first event go for you? Did you pick it up pretty quick?
So yeah, I had done quite a few test ‘n tunes, so my first event I was linking everything. The car was very simple, but I had no idea what I was doing. You know, I definitely had the wrong tires on the car, they were just the grippiest tires I could get because I was an idiot and the E36 barely did it. I definitely did not have the skills I have now, because looking back, looking at some of the videos, it was really violent. I was throwing the car all over the place. It was not smooth. I really didn't have the touch to put the car exactly where I wanted it.
Was it an M50 car or an M52? What was in it?
It was an M52B28, the 2.8 liter. It was actually an ECS Tuning car, it was like their test car. It had pretty much their entire parts catalog on it with two piece front brakes, and you know, the whole nine. They had everything but a roll cage. Completely stripped out though.
Having that car is actually where I met a lot of people, that, you know, now, they’re my really good friends. I met Cory [Misko] and Dylan [Lobbestael] and all them and they really kind of introduced me and kind of eased me into the drifting community.
But my first couple of events, actually my first two years, I didn't talk to anybody. I went out there and just pretty much drifted by myself. Obviously I was in C group, so I would just do the thing and kind of not talk to anybody, sit in the truck. And then when it was time to go home, I was pretty much one of the first people to leave and didn't really conversate with anybody, didn't know anybody out there. I didn't really have many friends, just some acquaintances. So it's kind of wild what it's turned into today.
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What it has turned into is Roy being one of the easiest people in the pits to talk to, always hanging out and happy to chat with whoever. When a news crew working on a story on car culture needed a GP driver to give them a ride-along at M1, Roy was happy to oblige, giving one lucky reporter an absolutely killer introduction to the motorsport. Some of those friendships that he made once he started to get more comfortable in the pits grew into a team of red cars, all piloted by local rippers.
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So when did you start to get tight with those dudes?
Let's see… I got the E46 in 2018, and then once I got the turbo and everything under the hood, I would say probably 2022ish… 2021 is when I really started to make friends out of drifting. I had heard of Mike Drake and stuff from, you know, people around the car community and stuff like that, but I started to make friends with Dylan Lobbestael and Cory Misko and then started talking to Mike.
Mike's a social butterfly, so he introduced me to these people and then to these people, and I feel like after that, I kind of started getting a little bit of notice with my driving, and I was able to start driving with other people. I had known Colten [Terrell] and Tyler [Terrell] from way back in the day, I was in freaking high school delivering parts to them.
I was working at O'Reilly's in like 2015, and I was delivering parts when Colten and Tyler were building both of their 240s to go drifting, so it was kind of neat to see that come full circle now that we're all on a team together. I was just this young guy, you know, delivering parts to them like, “oh man, I can't wait till I can go drifting.” I would say we became pretty good friends, probably in the 2022 era. That's when I would say my driving started to really take off as well.
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Roy’s first DISL experience came in 2022 when he competed in DISL Lite at Volume Six. By Volume Seven, he was throwing down with the big boys in the main event, going one-more-time with David Whelen in one of the most exciting battles of the whole event. He competed in each of those last four DISL volumes of the initial 10-round series, always looking dangerous, but not quite able to make a deep run. Still, he was consistent, and consistently impressive.
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So you really came into 2024 swinging. You wanna talk about what that first round last season was like for you?
So going into that first round, you know, beginning of the year, the sedan definitely felt dialed by then. I felt like I was really starting to unlock it, I was really focusing on suspension set up. I was watching a lot of FDF videos on how to set the car up, and I was really focused on trying to get some grip and consistency out of everything, both in my driving and the tune up in the car.
I remember winning the first battle and I just couldn't believe it. Right off the bat. And then, you know, won the second battle and I just kept piling it on, and then all my friends and everybody, the red car team, they're cheering me on and helping me out, and it was just insane watching everybody cheer every time. You get done with a run and they’d point to me, it just was crazy. I actually felt like that was probably one of the events that I felt the most confident in. I just felt like I was on one in practice and everything.
And normally in practice, I like to take it a little easy and then try to pour on the sauce during competition. But I felt like I was pretty dialed all weekend long, and, and people even came up to me Saturday, or practice the first day, I can't remember if it was Friday or Saturday, came up to me in practice and told me that you're 100% going to win.
It's just crazy that it all worked out that way. I remember standing on the podium and, you know, my dad had been drag racing for quite a while, but he had never quite made it into the winner or runner-up circle. So, himseeing me stand up on the podium, I just remember getting off, seeing him, and it looked like he had tears in his eyes. He was clapping and yelling for me, and then I remember getting off the podium and giving him a big hug and stuff because, I mean, he really is a big supporter of mine, with anything that I need as far as the shop, the car, I even borrowed his truck and trailer to get there.
I remember that podium was special, spirits were really high at that one. You really earned it.
Thank you. I definitely felt like I was putting the effort in, and I felt like I was having nothing but car troubles before that, so to see everything come full circle and the car stay together and everybody coming together to help me like that was amazing.
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That first round of last season’s new DISL series really did feel like a turning point, with tons of young talent showing out and making a name for themselves in the series. All three podium finishers were 25 or younger, and they really set the tone for the season going forward. Unfortunately for Roy, his sedan wasn’t long for this world.
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Going from that round, was it the next event, or a few events later, when you got into the wall a little bit?
Yeah. The following event, I had a lower control arm bolt brake off in my FDF kit, and it shot the wheel out from underneath the car and sent me straight into the wall.
And, at the time, I was like, “oh, I think I could fix this car,” but after evaluating it a little further, I realized that the chassis is indeed smoked. I had hit the wall before, before I started doing Street Leagues and stuff, so the car had already been wadded up before and kind of pulled back to where it looked decent.
So that car was definitely ready to retire after that wall hit, but it definitely put a big damper in the season. I definitely did not think that was going to happen right there, especially, you know, I've driven Kil-kare so many times, you kind of start to forget about how unforgiving the walls are and how quickly something can go wrong with what we're doing.
Oh yeah. I don’t know how many cars that wall on the bank has claimed. A bunch. So then, the race was on to get ready for USAir, right? And you got the coupe.
Yeah, it was actually very fortunate. Nick Holt was working on a car for a spec E46 class, and then something happened with the deal that he was doing, and it didn't go through, so him and I were able to quickly make a deal on a car that I had that I was actually going to put together. But the car that he had, had a big head start. It already had the cage about 50% put in there. So, me and my friends and family were able to put the car together in around two weeks and we were able to get out to USAir.
We actually started the car for the first time and drove it the Thursday that I needed to leave for USAir. I started that car Thursday morning, drove it up and down the driveway, did a donut out front, and then pulled it straight into the trailer and drove eight-and-a-half hours up there.
Obviously I didn't do that great at USAir. I was a seeded driver, So I did get into the 32, but Adam Day took me out. I just was not confident in the car at all, you know, something you put together that fast with no testing. I got there, and I realized more stuff was bent than what I had thought originally. I transferred a lot of stuff from the sedan, so it definitely was not ideal.
Hard to feel bad when you get knocked out by the guy that ends up finishing fourth, though.
Oh, for sure. Adam is definitely a weapon in that car.
But then, by Round Three, you made it back on the podium.
Yep, I was in the seeded bracket, made it all the way through to my battle with Cash to see who would go to the finals, and my lead run, I misjudged a little bit, tagged the wall pretty hard, and bent up the trunk and the back of the car pretty bad and it caused me to straighten. But my third place battle with Colty, was, I feel like, the highlight of the night for me. Him and I put on a great show.
That battle is still one of the most fun for me to watch. I was able to get the slight advantage over Colty and was able to secure third place and my second podium finish… It was sick. I mean, that was a really, really great round.
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With two podiums on the season, Roy finished 2024 in third overall on the DISL table. Late last season, we announced the introduction of DIGP for 2025. His performance was more than enough to earn him the call up for the new series.
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So, let’s go back to when you got the invitation to drive in DIGP. What was that experience like for you?
So, Edgar, you know, asked me to be part of the GP program, and I knew right off the bat that this is going to be everything that Street League is and more. I feel like, as you're going into Street League, you should be able to trust every car on the property that everybody is going to be able to drive to their best ability at all times. I can trust them to put my car as close as I can to them.
I feel like with GP, I have even more confidence because I know everybody that is driving is 100% heavy hitters. Not taking credit from anybody else in Street League, but you know that everybody that has shown up there, not only are they a driver, they also have that much more of a car to put on a show.
You don't really have to pull back as much in the chase car because everybody's car in GP is up to that certain standard. So it is really nice Drift Indy has the confidence in me to put on a show in GP and to drive with the level of people, the skill level that is there. It's very exciting to be a part of something like that.
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The first round of DIGP went a long way toward proving that the recipe for the series worked. Even the single-car qualifying runs were a good show, and just about every battle in the main event was an absolute heater that would’ve made it into damn near any series’ highlight reel. Roy’s battle with Steve Scherzer was the first of the series, and it set the tempo for the rest of the bracket, and for the season going forward. He wasted no time putting his drag wing right on top of the wall, with Steve right in the pocket behind him.
Roy went on to finish fifth in that inaugural round back in April, putting him in an excellent position to push himself higher in the table at Round Two.
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How were you feeling ahead of Round Two?
I definitely was getting way more comfortable in the coupe by then. Going into M1, I was a little stressed out. I had a little bit of car trouble before then, just had some oil leaks that I had to take care of, and had to button up the car, make sure it was, you know, top notch. Zoey and I left Saturday morning for M1. We woke up at 2:00 AM, and were on the road by 3:00 to get there on time for Saturday practice.
I definitely was taking it easy on a new track, everything was going pretty well. I definitely felt like I had some good runs. Going into Sunday, I knew there were definitely things that I needed to get better at. One of the judges came and talked to a few of us and let us know some things we could do to improve.
They were modifying the track slowly, you know, as far as where the cones would be. Saturday night, Sunday morning, the track got some rain, so it definitely felt way different going into practice. I knew there was a lot less grip out there, so I definitely was driving according to that.
Going into qualifying, I was not confident at all. The car had started running very bad. It would not stay running at all in neutral or with the clutch pushed in, so the entire time I had to make sure that I was on throttle at any given point, even with the clutch, just to make sure that the car completed the run.
Going into the first turn in qualifying, I realized there was nowhere near the grip levels that were in the track prior to that, so that caused me to run a pretty poor line, and I actually ended up tagging one of the only walls that you had to miss. So obviously inside the car, I'm very frustrated with myself.
I had to make another run, though. I knew it had probably messed up my lower control arm. I could see Tanner was looking at my wheels before he sent me and he gave me the signal that one of the wheels was definitely not straight, but I knew I needed to do that second run.
I did the run to the best of my ability, but I immediately felt defeated. Anybody that talked to me that day, I was definitely not my normal self. I was beating myself up pretty bad. I wouldn't say I was unhappy, but I just knew that I could have done better.
And I was sad that I was not driving to my full potential, but I somehow snuck in and was able to qualify 14th out of 16. I was able to find a part from Logan Fletcher. You know, thank God I got the car back together and put a pretty decent alignment together, the best we could in the pits.
From there, I knew the first battle was going to be pretty, pretty hefty. I seem like I always drive against Miatas, or drive against Miatas a lot at least. I'm four and zero facing Miatas in competition, though, so I had a little bit of confidence with me just for that, but Cameron, he is an excellent driver, so I knew I had to be right on him the entire time. And I was able to get the W from that, which I think just relit the fire in me and let me know that, “hey, you know, you might be able to pull this off. You need to stop moping. You can come out here and drive like you knew you could.”
After that, I just kept getting the win and the win, and every run at M1 was amazing, too. After every battle, just looking over next to me and seeing the guys just absolutely cracking up and clapping and smiling and having a great time, honestly, I think that's what it's all about.
Like it's, you know, GP is competitive. I would say more so than Street League for some of the guys, but it really is like the whole thing is about the fun that we are having and the memories that we are making, and that's really what it is.
I mean, standing on the podium with two of my really good friends, Joey [Ritter] and Adam [Day], was amazing. After a hard fought weekend of the car not doing and me not doing what we should, it was absolutely amazing, and I was dumbfounded to be standing up on that podium holding the big check and a number one trophy.
How are you feeling going into Round Three?
I feel like I am more hyped and excited for this last round than I have been in my entire career of drifting.
Not only is there the prospect to be the first DIGP champion, but knowing that my teammate is right on my heels, it just makes it that much more enjoyable for me. And like, I want more than anything for him and I to go out there and absolutely clean house and him and I to be number one and two at the end of the season, nothing would make my year more than that.
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Only six points separate the top four drivers at the top of the DIGP table ahead of this final round, with Roy’s teammate Colty just four points behind him in second. In such a competitive, stacked field and no seeded spots to rely on, it’s anybody’s game, but it’s not hard to imagine one or both of them finding their way to the podium. From Roy delivering parts to Colty when he was in high school, to becoming teammates with him and now leading him in points in one of the sickest drift series going, it’s been a pretty remarkable journey.
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How does drifting, as a whole, fit into your life?
I feel like right now, in my life, drifting is an absolutely huge part of it. Not only just the car aspect of it, but I would say, you know, 90% of my friends and some of the people I consider family, are at the track, or I met at the track or revolve kind of around this drifting aspect of like, we go hang out with our drifting friends, we play simulators, we go to Vyral and hang out.
And now they have the Girls Gone Drifting events, and it just seems like everything is evolving and it just encapsulates more and more of my life. It's amazing. Drifting is just, you know, great people and cool cars. It's always a good environment out there.
No one's ever arguing or yelling, and what I experienced in drag racing is 90% of those guys don't talk. They don't talk to you, no one is nice. If your car breaks, you're just SOL. No one wants to help you because they're out there, 90% of those dudes, just out there to make money.
This is almost their business, and I like that drifting is so nonchalant in the sense that everybody is out there to have fun. And at DIGP, they're there to compete, but I feel like everybody there will give you their shirt off their back to help you to try to get back out there on track.
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Roy’s love for BMWs started at an early age. He got an E30 when he was 15, and now, a little over a decade later, he has owned more than 20 examples of various versions of Bavarian engineering. He said that his dad, who would accept nothing less than a Chevy small block and a powerglide transmission in his own cars, couldn’t understand why Roy was so obsessed with these European cars and their inline sixes.
From the digital stylings of his cars in Forza when he was in middle school to sitting behind the wheel of real-life E46s that would take him to to the inaugural Drift Appalachia special stage, to his first DISL podium and now to the top of the DIGP table, that obsession has paid off for him. Roy is an absolute weapon in the drivers’ seat, but beyond that, he’s a really nice, down-to-earth dude enjoying everything the motorsport and the Drift Indy community have to offer. He even gets to tandem with his girlfriend, Zoey.
“Watching her progress has been a treat… it is amazing to be able to drive with her to the ability that we are now. The media, the exposure from it, it’s very rewarding. We get to show that, not only are we a couple off the track, but we can ball out on the track, too,” he said.
Finally, let’s take a look at the whip Roy will be piloting this coming weekend as he looks to cement himself atop the leaderboard and earn the title of first-ever DIGP champion:
Roy’s E46 coupe is an ‘05 330ci with an M54B30 under the hood, utilizing a head gasket spacer to lower compression to make a little room for the boost coming from his Borg Warner S362 turbo. The exhaust manifold and other fab work for the setup was done by fellow DIGP driver Cory Misko at Fresh Produce Mfg., and his stock ECU was tuned by Jake at Classic Daily.
Suspension-wise, he’s on BC Racing coilovers and is running an FDF angle kit. In the back, he’s rocking some Maxpeedingrods lower control arms and a few little tricks here and there, including Toyota Camry bushings. For wheels, he runs three-piece OZ Superleggeras.