2023 Formula Drift season

The 2023 Formula Drift season (officially titled and stylized as the Formula DRIFT PRO Championship) was the twentieth season of the Formula D series. The season began on April 8 at Long Beach and concluded on October 14 at Irwindale Speedway after eight events.

To coincide with its twentieth anniversary celebrations, the series announced a number of additions to be made throughout the year. These include the inauguration of a Formula Drift Hall of Fame, the unveiling of a monument to the series in downtown Long Beach, increased prize money for event winners and the series champion, and the launch of an officially sanctioned podcast.

Chelsea DeNofa won the drivers' championship with three round wins; he was the only driver to score multiple victories during the season. Ahead of the Title Fight weekend at Irwindale Speedway, DeNofa make a shock announcement via his Instagram page that he intended to step back from Formula Drift for the foreseeable future. He mentioned that he had made the decision earlier in the season and wanted to make the announcement early in order to enjoy his final weekend regardless of the championship outcome. He plans to continue with other drifting projects. Longtime judge Ryan Lanteigne also announced his retirement ahead of the final weekend.

Entries
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Driver changes

 * Dan Burkett was unable to raise sponsorship to fund a 2023 campaign, and elected to sit out the season while concentrating on finding a new sponsor for 2024.
 * Three-time champion James Deane will return for the first time since 2019, signing with RTR Motorsports.
 * 2013 champion Michael Essa will not return to the series, having taken a position building cars for Daily Driven Exotics.
 * Joshua Love returned to the PROSPEC series for 2023.
 * Adam LZ will drive a reduced schedule in 2023, participating in four rounds. Two-time champion Vaughn Gittin, Jr. will drive in the remaining four rounds, returning to the series after stepping back at the end of the 2021 season.
 * Justin Pawlak will step back from the series, in order to focus on his son Jaxsen's drifting career.

Other changes

 * For 2023, the limit of 37 full-season entries was removed.
 * Falken Tire ended its partnership with Formula Drift.
 * GT Radial renewed its partnership with the series through 2025.
 * Kenda Tire became a new official supplier on a two-year agreement.
 * Vitour Tires became a new official supplier on a two-year agreement.

Scoring system
During qualifying, drivers perform solo runs which are judged on parameters such as line, angle, style and "X-factor", all defined within the sporting regulations, and awarded a numerical score up to 100. These scores are ranked to determine the qualifying classification and populate the brackets for the competition phase. Only 32 spots in the main event are available. In addition, the top three qualifiers earn three, two and one championship points respectively.

The qualifiers proceed through a series of competition heats, with those eliminated in the first round (Top 32) receiving 16 points and classifying 17th through 32nd, the second round (Top 16) receiving 32 points and classifying 9th through 16th, the third round (Great 8) receiving 48 points and classifying 5th through 8th, and the fourth round (Final Four) classifying 3rd and 4th, receiving 76 and 64 points respectively. In the Final, the runner-up receives 88 points and the winner 100 points. Final classification within each round is then determined by highest qualifying position; for example, of the two drivers eliminated in the Final Four, the driver who qualified higher is awarded 3rd position and the final place on the podium.

The scoring system for the competition phase returned to that used in 2020, with a wider spread between the points awarded for each position compared to 2021 and 2022.

In the event of a tie on points, the driver who classified higher in the most recent round will be awarded the higher position.

Auto Cup standings
Auto Cup points are awarded each round to the two drivers with the highest classified finish for each manufacturer. To be eligible, both the chassis and engine must have been constructed by that manufacturer.

Tire Cup standings
Tire Cup points are awarded each round to the two drivers with the highest classified finish for each tire manufacturer.