Will the Shoreline Showdown Truly Replace Irwindale for Formula Drift?

For 20 years, Irwindale Speedway was not only “The House of Drift,” but also the final round of the Formula Drift (FD) series. It’s where many got their first taste of competitive drifting in the US, but the Southern California short track ultimately closed its doors in December 2024 and is currently being demolished. This meant that a new final round was needed for the 2025 season and what was revealed was a shock to all. Long Beach would now not only be the beginning, but also the end of the season. How did it all come together? We spoke to FD president and co-founder, Ryan Sage, to get the story.

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Can You Really Replace a 20 Year Site?

For so many years, rumors constantly persisted that every final FD round at Irwindale was the last one. When it was rumored again throughout 2024, many brushed it off as if it was the same old story once again. This time, however, Irwindale Speedway management confirmed that the final event in December 2024 would be an all-out celebration and the start of destruction of the legendary racecourse. The news immediately put FD and Ryan in a bind as they essentially lost a track that was a mainstay of the series since 2004. “Ultimately, losing Irwindale can’t be seen as anything other than a hole that will never be replaced,” said Ryan when we interviewed him about Long Beach replacing Irwindale, “It’s not just because there aren’t many other venues in Southern California, but the legacy and history of the sport is intrinsically tied to that patch on concrete and steel just off the 605.”

While it was devastating, the FD staff were already planning for the inevitable and started searching for a new place for round eight in 2023. “We knew the term was coming to an end and we also knew that the current lease-holder was thinking about his next steps,” Ryan said, “but it was not until the Summer 2024 that we needed to try and find a viable alternative, that if Irwindale should actually go away, it would possible to have a new course ready for the 2025 season.” The major consideration was that the final round not only remained in Southern California, but the replacement also needed the same stature and spectacle of Irwindale to truly be a suitable replacement. That proved to be a needle in a haystack as there just weren’t many other options that could be ready on time.

Long Beach Steps Up Thanks to a 20 Year Relationship

That is, until the suggestion of the City of Long Beach sprung up. “It came into question when we were hitting a dead-end everywhere we tried to look,” Sage said, “Of the required criteria, nothing really met those standards. We envisioned announcing the replacement of some of the potential candidates and everything just felt like it was a letdown for the drivers and the public. If we announced X or Y or Z, we envisioned everyone asking: ‘That’s what is replacing the House of Drift?’”

Ryan Sage credits Kevin Wells, competition director of FD, and Andy Luk, director of operations, for helping make Long Beach a viable option. “They were really the driving force behind this because they had gone down to the location and started trying to reimagine round one in that area,” he said, “but in consideration that FD is an overlay on the Long Beach Grand Prix, that means we are the beneficiary of literally millions of dollars of infrastructure and services that includes street closures.” The challenge, according to Sage, was like “getting an F1 car on a Karting budget.”

“When Kevin and Andy measured and looked at the almanac, it was planned around an initial daytime event that would have a sound ordinance,” said Ryan, “They tried to re-envision something distinct and new, but something could also be attainable.” Once a concept was developed, the calls to the city began. Once those three got their voices heard by the city council, the plan began to snowball from there.

Considering that Formula Drift has a long history of a productive event under its belt, getting the City of Long Beach to listen wasn’t a perplexing task. It was the catalyst that helped them prove that running a second motorsports event eight months after the Grand Prix of Long Beach was a worthwhile idea. “Without question as it is impossible to do without the City of Long Beach and the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach (GPALB),” Ryan said, “This is with particular thanks to Tasha Day, the Long Beach manager of special events, as well as Dwight Tanaka and Jim Michaelian of the GPALB. Within the city, there are unbelievably important relationships that supported us at Long Beach Fire Department and Long Beach Police Department. They all know our drivers, how different the lifestyle and passion of a youth athlete is, and how hard everyone works to make a Formula Drift round come together.”

The Shoreline Showdown Track is Created

Once the idea was approved, it was time to make a proper racecourse layout for round eight, which is titled Shoreline Showdown by Formula Drift. While street closures and impact to traffic flow were required considerations, it also needed to be a compelling competition for fans and drivers alike. The other consideration was that it couldn’t just be a repeat of round one and not just because setting up the same street course would be boring. It just couldn’t be done. “It would be logistically impossible for us to do a city closure of the magnitude the GP does with that section of the course,” said Ryan, “and the surrounding issues created for tenants of the condos, apartments, and businesses with the closure of East Seaside Way and Linden Avenue.”

One feature that will come back from round one will be the Shoreline Drive straight. But unlike the season start drivers will go backwards on that legendary drive for round eight as it will serve as the start and run-up to the first turn. Instead of a hairpin right, it will be a smooth left-hand turn leading into the Seaside Way parking lot that is normally utilized as the car show grounds for round one. Drivers will then transition into a double left hand turn that leads into a much tighter right that creates a hairpin shape. The final left turn will close the run within the parking lot.

The Pressure is Higher Than Normal for Formula Drift

While Ryan Sage and Formula Drift have a 20-year record with Long Beach, Shoreline Showdown isn’t guaranteed to be the permanent home for round eight. As Ryan Sage told us, “This will make us or break us in a certain sense, and it will either work or it won’t.” If successful, Shoreline Showdown will become only the second motorsports event with a potential no-end tenure in Long Beach. “Or we will tuck our tails and start over again,” said Ryan. “It is quite hard to understand the gravity of the situation if you are a casual bystander.” Formula Drift didn’t start using Long Beach as its first round until after successfully running demos during the Grand Prix of Long Beach and proving it was an event fans wanted. Once Ryan and Formula Drift established themselves, it became a regular round with its own weekend in 2006, which was a monumental achievement for a series that was only two years old at that point.

But still, it was a street course that was already established and part of the Grand Prix. “We are borrowing and overlaying on top of one of the most prestigious, historic and, quite frankly, expensive street racing sites in motorsports history,” said Ryan, “Going from that to doing a weekend by ourselves, without the benefit of the Long Beach Grand Prix while still trying to make it as cool as that, feels crazy and, in a way, it is.” The only other self-hosted motorsports event in Long Beach was the Formula E ePrix held in 2015 and 2016. While it was an overall popular event, it hasn’t been back since. Considering that it is a series that has the benefit of FIA accreditation and multi-million-dollar budgets, it proves that Formula Drift will potentially achieve the impossible.

“It’s only even remotely possible because in the City of Long Beach, you have people who absolutely adore motorsports and professional events,” Ryan told us, “The Mayor’s office is an unbelievable supporter of events along with his staff and city departments. Combining that with the love that the GPALB has shown us and the way they have treated us and the sport, all I can say is that entire City of Long Beach are arguably the most pro-drifting, large-body group in the country.” That is a huge commendation being said by Ryan Sage here as the series has toured in 13 different states and went international for three years in Quebec, Canada since formed in 2004. “The city has done more than anyone to showcase and grow the sport,” said Ryan, “and to honestly believe in a small company and idea when there was really no reason to do that so many years ago. That belief has not waned, it has increased, and it reminds you that what is possible is sometimes bigger than you expected.”