Our beloved Irwindale Speedway had its last event and closed its gates for good in December of 2024. It was a very important place for many people’s careers and passions, and it was especially important for the sport of drifting in the USA.
In this episode, we provide some history about the track, and we share some details about the sale that lead to its closing.
We also interview several notable people, each with different perspectives, about the closing of the infamous House of Drift.
Interviews: Teddy Phu-Thanh-Danh – Founder of drift team Auto Factory Realize, was there for opening night of Irwindale Speedway in 1999, and champion of early 2000s Japanese style drift cars.
Daijiro Yoshihara – Formula D Champion from Japan, had many memorable battles at Irwindale Speedway, and considers Irwindale Speedway his home track
Kenshiro Gushi – Drifting OG from the San Gabriel Valley and Formula D veteran who had his first sanctioned drift event experience at Irwindale Speedway
Moto Miwa – Founder of Club4AG and Co-Founder of Drift Association, who hosted the first sanctioned drift event at Irwindale Speedway in 2002 and provided track support for D1GP and Formula Drift Sabine Hsu – Benson and Nadine’s daughter, who saw drifting in person for the first time at Irwindale Speedway
Doug Stokes – VP of Communications at Irwindale Speedway for 20 years, involved in the planning and construction of Irwindale Speedway
Manabu Orido – Drifting legend from Japan, former D1GP judge, former D1GP competitor, JGTC/Super GT/Super Taikyu Champion
Vaughn Gittin Jr. – Multiple time Formula D champion, winner of the D1GP USA vs Japan competition in 2005 at Irwindale Speedway
