Entering the Pacific Northwest at Evergreen Speedway rain was not a big surprise as showers in the morning and during the Top 16 competition created the first ever rain event in Formula DRIFT history. The track became wet and the drivers had to adjust to the new conditions. The competition was exciting as the drivers proved complete car control on the banked oval and tight technical turns.

“The rain made for one of the most exciting events in the history of Formula DRIFT,” said Jim Liaw, President and Co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “The fans from Pacific Northwest are some of the most dedicated fans and despite the wet weather they stayed glued to their seats for the entire event. These conditions definitely showcased the skillfulness of Formula DRIFT’s pro drivers.”

All 3 previous Formula DRIFT champions remained in the Final Four. Third place finisher Robbie Nishida and the Hankook / Peak Performance Nissan 350Z found the podium for his first time since his debut in 2005 by defeating current champion Tanner Foust in a very close consolation round. The final battle pitted 2-time Formula DRIFT Champion Samuel Hubinette in his Nuformz / Mopar Dodge Viper against former Formula DRIFT Champion Rhys Millen in the Red Bull Pontiac Solstice. The two faced off and Millen took home the victory for his second win this season and moved him up to the fourth place overall in the Castrol SYNTEC Power Cup point standings. Hubinette with this second place finish takes the top spot over Tanner Foust by 12 points. The competition is as fierce as ever with less than 45 points separating the top 3 drivers. The action continues on at Round 6: Locked and Loaded on September 13 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California.

Castrol SYNTEC Power Cup 2008 Point Standings

1. Hubinette - Nuformz Racing / Mopar Dodge Viper SRT10 - 409 Points
2. Foust - Rockstar / AEM Nissan 350Z - 397 Points
3. Yoshihara - Bridgestone / RMR Pontiac GTO - 366 Points
4. Millen - Red Bull Pontiac Solstice - 355 Points
5. Forsberg - NOS Energy Drink Nissan 350Z - 338 Points
6. Takatori - Super Autobacs Nissan Skyline R34 - 326 Points
7. Tuerck - Gardella Racing / Mobil1 Pontiac Solstice - 317 Points
8. McNamara - Falken / Sears Auto Center Saturn Sky - 237 Points
9. Grunewald - Nitto / Tanaka Racing Chevrolet Corvette - 229.25 Points
10. Nishida - Hankook / Dynamic Autosport Nissan 350Z - 200.25 Points
11. Miki - APEXi / Nitto Mazda RX7 - 183.50 Points
12. Gittin, Jr. - Falken / Ford Racing Mustang - 182.50 Points
13. Verdier - Cooper / Crawford Performance Subaru STI - 169.50 Points
14. Gushi - RS*R Scion tC - 166.50 Points
15. Mohan - Kyle Mohan Racing / Cooper / Mazdatrix RX-7 - 125.50 Points
16. Hayashida - Signal / Maziora Nissan Skyline GT-R34 - 123 Points

Full official standings available on: www.formuladrift.com

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