Drifting is a sport of sideways racing that originated in Japan and was made popular here in America by lightweight sports coupes like the Nissan 240sx. Yet in the past seven years since Formula Drift first started its championship series here in the United States, the sport has attracted a large domestic fanbase, and plenty of American cars into the competition. Few have had as much success as Ford Racing driver Vaughn Gittin Jr.

Piloting his modified 2011 Mustang 5.0, Vaughn Gittin Jr. came in second place in this past weekend’s final Formula Drift race. Even coming in second place though, Gittin was able to grab enough points to take home the 2010 Championship handily.

The season finale for Formula Drift took place at the venerable Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. Vaughn Gittin Jr. placed 4^th in qualifying, He had his work cut out for him, having to battle it out against former Formula Drift Rookie of the Year Michihro Takatori and then fellow American Tanner Foust in his Scion tC. The final round was so close that the judges had to request a “One More Time” run to determine a winner, as points are awarded for drift length and style among other categories.

Tanner Foust ultimately won the final round, taking home the Triple Crown victory as well. However, Vaughn Gittin Jr. would walk away with the championship in the bag, finishing almost 64 points ahead of second place finisher Foust. Vaughn Gittin Jr. ends his season having finished in 1st place twice, 2nd place three times, which kept him atop the standings throughout the season. We’re sure he will continue his dominance once the 2011 season gets underway.