Seattle Stop Sees Hubinette Set for Return to Podium

In the first three events of the 2006 Formula D season, Samuel Hubinette has been no stranger to the podium, posting wins in his NuFormz Racing Mopar Dodge Viper SRT10 at Long Beach and Chicago, with one runner-up finish at Road Atlanta. With his fourth-place finish in the last event at Sonoma, Hubinette maintained his series points lead and continued his string of top-five performances. Yet as the Formula D Drift series moves to Seattle this Saturday, the "Crazy Swede's" competitive spirit has him as ready as ever to get back on the podium.

"The desire to win gives me extra energy to really fight even harder," said Hubinette. "It helps me keep my edge, stay sharp and focus on getting back to the podium."

Team Mopar's Hubinette has racked up more wins on the Formula D circuit than any other driver, with seven wins in fourteen events since the series was formed. Hubinette also won the inaugural Formula D championship in 2004. He'll go for his first win at the Seattle track, Evergreen Speedway, a new stop for the series in 2006.

Hubinette will remain busy in August, as he's set to do battle against NASCAR stars in the "Mopar D1 All-Star Duel presented by ShiftIntoGear," scheduled for August 31 at Irwindale Speedway. The drifting exhibition will pit eight NASCAR stars, such as Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle, Robby Gordon and Bill Elliott, against eight of the best drifters in the world, including Hubinette, Vaughn Gittin Jr., Rhys Millen and Yasuyuki Kazama. All proceeds from the event will go to the Kasey Kahne Foundation.

For more info on Formula D or Mopar, log on to formulad.com, moparspeed.com, or mopar.com. For more info on the "Mopar D1 All-Star Duel presented by ShiftIntoGear," log on to moparspeed.com or irwindalespeedway.com.

"It's always fun to come out to a new venue. It's a challenge to figure out a new track. We're going to be focused on keeping the points lead, which we've held for the whole season."

— Samuel Hubinette on the Formula D event this week at Evergreen Speedway near Seattle, Wash. Hubinette will be looking to maintain his series points lead and take his third win of the season.

"It's definitely going to be fun to be out there with NASCAR stars like Kasey Kahne. It's really cool to see that they're interested in our sport and they want to try it out. I know they are talented drivers, and with some of them having experience driving sprint cars, they know how to go sideways. But drifting is definitely something different, and it's going to be interesting to see how the NASCAR stars handle this style of driving."

— Samuel Hubinette, on looking forward to competing against drifting stars in the "Mopar D1 All-Star Duel presented by ShiftIntoGear," scheduled for August 31.

Vaughn Gittin Jr., Greg Biffle Among Drivers to Join Hubinette and Kahne at ‘Mopar D1 All-Star Duel'

The buzz continues to grow around the "Mopar D1 All-Star Duel presented by ShiftIntoGear," as NASCAR stars Greg Biffle, Robby Gordon and Casey Mears, along with drifters Vaughn Gittin Jr., and Rhys Millen, are among the drivers now scheduled to appear at the event.

The exhibition will pit eight headliners from America's most recognized form of racing, the Nextel Cup stock car series, against eight D1 drifters in a no-holds-barred drifting demonstration. The drivers will join confirmed NASCAR stars Kasey Kahne and Bill Elliott, as well as Team Mopar drifter Samuel Hubinette, and D1 stars Yasuyuki Kazama and Ken Nomura. Additional NASCAR and D1 drivers who intend to participate will be announced in the near future.

Scheduled for August 31 at the "House of Drift," Southern California's Irwindale Speedway, the event will feature the NASCAR vs. D1 Challenge, with eight drivers from each series going head-to-head in tandem battles. The NASCAR stars will compete in drift cars provided by D1. Attendees will also witness a D1 All-Star match race, a NASCAR vs. D1 tire-smoking competition, and a not-to-be-missed D1 All Eight tandem drift, with all eight D1 drivers drifting simultaneously on the Irwindale course. Fans will also be able to take part in a brief autograph session with the drivers. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Kasey Kahne Foundation.

"I grew up racing sideways around dirt tracks in an 800 horsepower sprint car. This is going to be a lot different, but I am excited and ready for the challenge," said Kahne, who has four Nextel Cup wins in 2006. "Drifting looks like so much fun, and my NASCAR buddies are jumping at the opportunity to whip some of these cars around."

Fans can log on to www.modified.com for the chance to win free airfare for two and accommodations to attend the "Mopar D1 All-Star Duel presented by ShiftIntoGear." One person will win the trip, courtesy of event media sponsor Modified Magazine, and will take part in a ride-along with Mopar's Hubinette at the "Mopar D1 All-Star Duel presented by ShiftIntoGear."

Tickets for the event can be purchased online at irwindalespeedway.com. For more information on the "Mopar D1 All-Star Duel presented by ShiftIntoGear," log on to moparspeed.com, d1gp.com or irwindalespeedway.com.

Super Street Names Team
Mopar's Carlson to List of
Top Ten Innovators of All Time

Team Mopar driver and owner Shaun Carlson was named as one of the Top Ten Innovators of All Time of the sport compact and drifting scene in the September issue of Super Street, available on newsstands now. The honor was bestowed as part of a celebration of the magazine's tenth anniversary.

Carlson was recognized for the trailblazing innovations coming out of his California-based fabrication shop, NuFormz Racing, in the mid-1990s. With Stephen Papadakis, Carlson made sport compact history building the first front-wheel-drive tube-frame chassis drag car. That car became the first FWD tube-chassis car to complete 9-second passes, later bettering that mark with 8-second passes.

As a driver, Carlson joined Team Mopar in 2003, driving a FWD Dodge SRT4 on the NHRA Sport Compact circuit. He grabbed his first NHRA victory in May 2003 at Gainesville, where he set front-wheel-drive records for ET and speed with a pass of 8.22 seconds at 181.70 mph. He later posted a career-best pass of 7.50 seconds at 194.25 mph. Carlson grabbed another Sport Compact win in his SRT4 in 2005 at the Palm Beach NHRA Sport Compact Nationals.

In 2006, Carlson jumped to the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Pro Stock circuit, driving for Team Mopar and Don Schumacher Racing. As an owner, Carlson and NuFormz Racing maintained the Mopar Dodge Viper SRT10 Samuel Hubinette campaigned to a runner-up finish last year in the Formula D Drift Series; Hubinette is currently first in the 2006 Formula D points series. Carlson and NuFormz Racing are also putting the finishing touches on Hubinette's new ride, the Mopar Dodge Charger SRT8.

"Mopar is proud of Shaun Carlson and of our ongoing association with him and NuFormz Racing," said Mopar's Chris Cortez, Vice President of Global Service & Parts. "He's one of the people who have played an important role in growing the sport compact scene and the sport of drifting. We at Mopar look forward to working with Shaun in continuing to mold how enthusiasts think about their cars."

For more info on Carlson, Mopar or Super Street, log on to moparspeed.com, mopar.com or superstreetonline.com.

"To be named as one of the Top Ten Innovators by Super Street is awesome. The recognition means a lot to me, and I'm flattered to be considered as someone who helped blaze a trail for all the enthusiasts out there. They're what really matters."

— Shaun Carlson, on being named one of the Top Ten Innovators of the sport compact and drifting scene in the September issue of Super Street, available on newsstands now.