The time is nearly upon us, folks. We’re just a few days away from the dawn of the next iteration of Drift Indy Street League.
After an initial run of 10 volumes that spanned three seasons and saw over 100 total drivers vie for the podium, we’re wiping the scoreboard clean and starting fresh with a three-round series, all to be held in 2024.
Round 1 already promises to shake things up. With quite a few new drivers on the roster and some notable names missing, the top 32 could have a very different look to it than we’re used to.
Starting off with the familiar faces, we’ll be joined by the overall winner of Volumes 1-10, Colten Terrell, as well as second place finisher Josh Estey. Colty’s the only one that drove every volume, and Estey’s the only one with two first-place finishes. Two different S13s, two different setups, but they’re two perennial DISL contenders all the same.
Estey’s fellow Bobby’s Crew member Vance Kearns is on the list, too. Who could forget his impressive win at Volume 8? Both he and Estey are running new Ecoboost setups, courtesy of the fellas over at JEM-Sport. It’ll be exciting to see how their rides stack up after those heart transplants.
Vance and Estey at DISL Volume 10.
Kyle Robertson, winner of the very first DISL volume back in 2020 and second place at volume 10, and Alek Morelock, two-time second-place finisher, both have a damn good chance of finding their way back onto the podium, too.
I think we could see big things from Justin Medina, Cory Misko and Dylan Lobbestael, too. Misko’s coming off a really solid 2023 season that saw him receive the Most Consistent Driver award. Medina and Lobstertail are both shredders, but they’ve been plagued by mechanical issues in past volumes. I think any one of these three could end up with some hardware if things go right for them.
The last two to watch that especially stood out are Roy Outcalt and Cash Staub. Both have DISL experience under their belts, and both have already been shredding this season. Cash has been looking super confident putting it on dudes’ doors at the DISL Showoff and Opening Day both. Roy has proven that he’s a shredder time and time again, including slaying the first Drift Appalachia Special Stage, but is another driver that has had a little trouble making a deep run in DISL.
Cash following Clint Stotts at the DISL Showoff.
Turning our attention to the newcomers, we’ve got a few ladies joining the fray! Deidra Drake, Grace Prescott and Miranda Davis are all on the roster for Round 1, and I think all three have shown that they’ve more than earned their spot. I think we’ll see the competition push their progression even further.
David Shaner joined us for the last event of 2023 and was really putting the pressure on the likes of Mike Drake and Chris Morton. The skill is obviously there, and I think he could be tough competition as long as he keeps it controlled.
Here's Shaner in the chase on Mike Drake last November.
Ethan Hultgren is someone that I’ve never seen drive, but who I wanted to mention because his E36 sedan is super clean. There are plenty of nice e36 coupes around, and a few cool verts, but I’ve got a real soft spot for old-ish euro sedans and I don’t see many of them out at events. Looking forward to seeing him getting sideways.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of who to watch, but we’ve gotten to the point with DISL that there’s no shortage of drivers in the field that could make a deep run and end up on the podium. From the beginning, DISL has been about stylish cars and stylish driving. The progression of the cars and their drivers from the early days has been pretty crazy, and is something all of us at Drift Indy are super proud of. Whoever wins, it’s gonna be a rad time with good friends and cool-ass cars.
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Here's the full driver list for Round 1:
ACTON CHEVY CORVETTE
ANDERSON BMW E46
ANTONOVICH NISSAN S13
ANTONOVICH NISSAN Z33
BAILEY BMW E90
BERLIN FORD MUSTANG S550
BLANGIARDO NISSAN S15
BLANKENSHIP FORD MUSTANG SN95
BOLEN NISSAN Z33
CASSIDY INFINITI G35
CLARK MAZDA MIATA NA
COLDWATERS NISSAN Z33
CORNEWELL NISSAN S13
DANE INFINITI G35
DAVIS NISSAN S13
DAY CAMARO SS
DESCOTEAUX MAZDA MIATA NA
DRAKE NISSAN S14
DRAKE NISSAN Z33
DUNN INFINITI G35
EDMISTON MAZDA MIATA NA
ENRIGHT MAZDA FC3S
ESTEY NISSAN S13
FAUCETT NISSAN Z33
FAUCETT NISSAN Z33
FISHER MAZDA RX8
FORD NISSAN S14
FRONTERA NISSAN S13
HACKENSON NISSAN S13
HARRELSON BMW E36
HULTGREN BMW E36
HUNNICUTT HYUNDAI GENESIS BK1
JOHNSON NISSAN Z32
KAUKEINEN CHEVY CORVETTE
KEARNS INFINITI G37
KEARNS BMW E36
KEITH NISSAN S13
KELLER NISSAN Z33
LaVERSE NISSAN S13
LEEP NISSAN Z33
LOBBESTAEL BMW E46
LOTT BMW E36
MATCHETT NISSAN Z32
MEDINA HONDA S2000
MENDEZ LEXUS IS300 JCE10
MISKO BMW E46
MONCALIAN NISSAN Z33
MONCALIAN LEXUS IS300 JCE10
MORELOCK NISSAN Z33
MORTON NISSAN R33
MUMMA NISSAN S13
OUTCALT BMW E46
PENDLETON TOYOTA CRESSIDA MX83
PRESCOTT NISSAN S13
REYES NISSAN Z33
RICHARDS NISSAN S13
RICHARDSON NISSAN S13
ROBERTS NISSAN Z33
ROBERTSON NISSAN S13
SCHERZER NISSAN Z33
SCHERZER INFINITI G37
SCHMIDT LEXUS GS300 JZS160
SHANER NISSAN S14
SKUDLAREK FORD MUSTANG
SMITH CHEVY CORVETTE
ST MYERS NISSAN S14
STACEY MAZDA MIATA NA
STAUB FORD MUSTANG
STEELE NISSAN S14
STONE MAZDA MIATA NA
TERRELL NISSAN S13
THILLAI SUBARU BRZ
VANDE BRAKE MAZDA MIATA NB
WAGGONER CHEVY CORVETTE
WAKELAND NISSAN Z33
WALTERS MAZDA MIATA NA
WHITNEY SUBARU BRZ
WORLEY NISSAN S14