Now to continue the review of the 2009 Formula Drift season where we left off yesterday.

Following the blazing hot Vegas event, the series headed to the great Pacific Northwest for its annual stop at Evergreen Speedway near Seattle. Under the cool gray skies of Washington it was time to dig in for the home stretch of the season.

The Seattle event would see rookie driver Eric O'Sullivan earn his first ever FD podium finish, taking third place after a collision between his Impreza and Vaughn Gittin Jr.'s Mustang.

It would also turn out to be the final day of competition for the Discount Tire/Falken Lexus IS. After a hard crash on the bank, the big Lexus was totaled, but luckily its driver Daijiro Yoshihara would escape unharmed.

The twin AE86 battle between Taka Aono and Yasu Kondo was another highlight of the Evergreen event.

After qualifying second overall, Ross Petty's S15 suffered an engine failure during evening practice. Following an all-night scramble by the Garage Boso crew, the car was ready to run again on Saturday, albeit with a stock motor. Nonetheless Ross was able to defeat Michiro Takatori in the Top 16.

The final would come down to a pair of 350Z roadsters, driven by Chris Forsberg and Tyler McQuarrie. It would be Chris and the NOS Energy Drink car that would emerge victorious here – his second win of the year.

With two events left to run, Forsberg had built a sizable lead in the points standings. But there would be no time to rest…

That's because less than two weeks later it was time to head to Sonoma for round six, held alongside the Indy Car race at Infineon Raceway.

In the short time between the two events, Team Falken managed to put together a new car for Daijiro Yoshihara – an S13 with Chevy V8 power.

Tyler McQuarrie was deep in the hunt for the championship when his car suffered an engine failure prior to tandem competition. Just like DMac's car trouble in Vegas, this would be a giant blow to his championship hopes.

Although he wasn't a championship contender, Robbie Nishida is another driver who had a fantastic season in 2009. One that was good enough to earn him a spot driving the new Hankook GTR next year!

Ken Gushi also had some very good events in the second half of the season, but mechanical problems with his Scion tC caused the team a lot of headaches.

Gushi's match with Katushiro Ueo in Sonoma was as crazy one, as you can see. Hmm…it seems like being matched up with Ueo is a common formula for these jaw-dropping moments. Gushi would end up taking second place at this event.

And the winner in Sonoma? Stephan Verdier, who defeated some of FD's best drivers on the way to his first-ever Formula Drift victory. Now, there would be a long two month break before the season finale at Irwindale Speedway.

And then finally in mid-October it was time to close out the season at the House of Drift.

Joining the regular Formula D cast at Irwindale would be guest stars like Scandanavian driver Fredric Aasbo…

…and Irish driver Dean "Karnage" Kearney.

2009 was a tough year for Samuel Hubinette. The loss of his sponsor mid-season was a minor setback compared to the devastating loss that he, and the entire FD community suffered when NuFormz Racing team owner Shaun Carlson passed away. Nonetheless, Sam finished off the season on a high note, with his car decorated in tribute of his fallen friend.

Joon Maeng is another driver that couldn't go without mention here. As humble as ever, Joon had a breakthrough year in '09 running as privateer.

Another privateer, Matt Powers finished off his first Formula D season in spectacular fashion – nearly earning himself a spot on the podium.

The final victor of 2009 would be Ryan Tuerck, who finished off the year just as he started it – with a win in Southern California. Second place would go to Tyler McQuarrie. Although both Ryan and Tyler were championship contenders…

…Chris Forsberg's lead in the point standings was just too big. Halfway through the Irwindale event, Chris had already clinched the championship – becoming the first driver with a pure drifting background to win the series.

It was a fitting end to a year of change for Formula Drift, and I'm already getting excited for next season.

Countdown to Long Beach 2010, T-minus four months and counting….

-Mike Garrett