We’re headed to USAir Raceway in Shawano, WI for Drift Indy Street League Round 2 this week.
The event marks the second time DISL has hit the road, with last season’s Volume 10 down in Corbin, KY being the first. We’ve worked with the crew at USAir to compose a kick-ass, never-before-seen competition course. Like all the layouts we’ve run, it’s designed to be both technical and exciting to watch.
We came away from Round 1 with a solid top-16 list of seeded drivers. Our top three are Sam Cornewell, Cash Staub and Roy Outcalt, in that order. Sam and Roy are both fighting to get their cars ready in time, but we’re expecting that they’ll both be there shredding. All three put on an absolute show at Round 1, and I doubt anyone would be surprised to see them back on the podium in Shawano.
Those top 16 seeds won’t need to qualify in prelims and will be matched up with the top 16 qualifiers of this weekend’s prelims. Looking outside of our podium trio, there’s plenty of other seeded rippers that could make the push all the way to some hardware. It’s an intriguing mix of DISL regulars and relative newcomers.
On the newcomer side, Jake Clark and teammate Eric Fisher both earned points for their qualifying performances at Round 1, and Jake went on to finish fifth overall.
Perennial DISL heavyweight (and new father! Congrats, dude!) Justin Medina has a good chance to earn his second podium as long as he can avoid mechanical issues and stay away from any walls. Speaking of heavyweights, we’ll also be joined by two Kyles with five podium finishes between them. No need to fear if you are drywall or a Monster Energy drink, though, Kyle Antonovich and Kyle Robertson are less interested in punching holes and crushing cans than they are in throwing down crazy runs at whatever track or mountain pass they find themselves on.
Colten Terrell, our overall winner from Volumes 1-10, is always one to watch. He’s a killer at Kil-kare, and it’ll be tight to see how he performs at a different track.
A trio of white Miatas, piloted by Teague Walters, Cody Edmiston and Cameron Stone, have shown us that it really is the motion of the ocean that counts. They can really put those little roadsters in all the right places, and a tight track like USAir is a perfect place for them to shine.
Round 1 produced some spectacular driving and sick battles in the top 32, but we also saw some strong drivers fail to qualify in prelims. Three-time DISL podium finisher Josh Estey will have a chip on his shoulder after falling short in prelims. It goes without saying that he’s no slouch behind the wheel, and with the added motivation of a big point deficit to overcome I think we could see an especially impressive performance from him. He and his Bobby’s Crew teammates are always competitive, and it’s a near-certainty that we’ll see at least a couple of them in our top 32.
Speaking of teams, Team Shade is making their return to DISL. Joey Ritter, Clint Stotts and David Whelen are all on the list, and all three have more than proven themselves to be shredders through-and-through. A matchup between a member of Team Shade and a member of Bobby’s Crew would be a highlight of the competition for sure.
Ty Keller and Chad Lott just showed out at the Luau in an impromptu battle for a set of BC Racing coilovers that saw Chad take the win. Ty fell short of qualifying at Round 1, but both of them continue to show that they have what it takes to find their way into some real points.
Last but certainly not least, we’ll be joined by a legend of Midwest drifting, Brian Peter. Despite only driving one Volume of DISL in the first 10-event series, he still ended up 32nd overall in the legacy rankings with a third place finish at Volume 3. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him dust off the gloves and throw down another podium-worthy performance.
At the end of the day, it’s going to come down to who’s really feeling it this weekend. At a different track with a new layout, the most adaptable drivers will have a chance to show off their flexibility. The list of drivers is stacked, as always, and there’s plenty outside of the few mentioned here that have a great chance at landing themselves some hardware. Regardless of who ends up on the top step, DISL Round 2 is going to be a hell of a show.