E-Town Gets Rowdy: LZ World Tour Delivers Wild Battles From Heavy Hitters
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The once‑famous drag strip, now a full‑blown drift coliseum, at Raceway Park, NJ hosted the LZ World Tour for the fourth time. The invite-only event brought out past and present FD drivers such as Ryan Tuerck, Nate Hamilton, Chelsea DeNofa, Brian Hoplamazian, and of course Adam LZ, the man behind the event. Joining the FD drivers were several well‑known automotive influencers, including Jimmy Oakes, TJ Hunt, and Grant Anderson, to name a few. Providing commentary and keeping the crowd energized throughout the weekend were David Egan (Drift Games) and Ian Waddington (Drift Masters). While the main goal of the event is to showcase car culture, drivers also had a chance to earn bragging rights during a Top 16 competition.
Saturday delivered warm, sunny weather—perfect for producing clouds of tire smoke from the Accelera 651 Sports supplied by Tire Streets. Nick Swann, running grid, stayed busy during the morning’s two‑hour jam session, allowing drivers to turn as many laps as possible while putting on a show for fans. Nick had a few words to share about the event;
Eric Goodrich: What do you think of the LZWT?
Nick Swann: This is such a sick event. LZWT always provides a unique and talented group of drivers and the cars are always so rad.
EG: What makes this event so special for drivers and fans alike?
NS: One of the things that makes the World Tour so special is the “friendly” competition. Everyone qualifies but the goal is to make into the top 13 spots. The last chance 16 on day 1 adds a layer of competition for and pressure on the drivers to make it into the main competition on Sunday.
On track, the action was nonstop, but off track Griot’s Garage hosted a hand‑picked car show featuring some of the cleanest builds around. The stands, car show, and vendor midway were packed elbow‑to‑elbow as this is the only US stop on the tour. During a short planned break in the on‑track action, the sea of spectators made their way to the numerous food trucks offering everything from burgers and barbecue to ice cream and specialty drinks.
Qualifying gave each driver two laps on the figure‑eight layout to earn a spot in Sunday’s Top 16 bracket. With roughly 30 drivers, the top 13 from qualifying advanced directly to the main show, while drivers from 14th downward battled in the Last Chance Bracket on Saturday evening. Former FD ProSpec driver Lee Yearwood topped qualifying in his beautiful S15 with a 91‑point run. Chelsea DeNofa impressed the judges with his second run, placing him 2nd, and rounding out the top three was Raceway Park’s own Mike Napp in his S13. Notable drivers such as Ricky Hoffman, Josiah Fallaise, and Sean Booth landed in the lower group and would have to fight for the remaining three spots in the Top 16.
One of the main reasons the LZ World Tour continues to be such a success is its ability to give fans an unforgettable experience. Fantasy Battles between the main show segments allowed the crowd to act as judges while their favorite drivers went head‑to‑head. Damon Fryer, founder of Daily Driven Exotics, brought out his insane 1500‑hp twin‑turbo Ferrari F12 and shredded laps for the crowd. On Sunday, he surprised fans by barreling onto the track in a Honda Odyssey, sliding it sideways and even tapping the jersey barrier multiple times. Rounding out the exhibition driving, Adam LZ brought out his Drift Masters E36 to debut the new Accelera 651 “Pro” tire, aiming for the “fastest lap around E‑Town”—and the run was nothing short of impressive. Raceway Parks own Chris Napp had a few things to say about the event;
Eric Goodrich: Overall what did you think of this weekend?
Chris Napp: I had a blast this weekend. Got to see a lot of good people. Catch up and hangout. The fans this weekend were amazing. The vibe was awesome. The weather on Saturday was great. Sunday though… not so much.
EG: You had a chance during the fantasy battles to drive with your father, how did that go?
CN: I had a blast during those laps. He entered a bit differently than I anticipated. The rest of the lap was just a bit timid. I had a great car this weekend. I just always think I'm closer than I am.
EG: This being the 4th LZWT event at Raceway Park, how did this rank to the previous years?
CN: This event was the smoothest running event out of all of them. The road course last year took a ton of time to set up, but it was so cool being in the center of the track. I think the road course was more rowdy, but the stadium has more of a professional feel.
After qualifying, the Last Chance Bracket was set, and the bottom half of the order competed in near‑perfect conditions for the final three spots in the main event. Unluckily for drift team Front Street, Josh Deliz and Tom Nazzaro were paired together, while Jimmy Oakes had to battle Geoff Stoneback. Tom and Jimmy advanced, but then faced each other in the Top 8. Tom outdrove Jimmy, who would eventually take 3rd place in the bracket after defeating Matt Bystrak. After a close final battle, Josiah defeated Rich Whiteman. Despite being in his SR20‑powered S13 and running identical tires, Rich put up a strong fight against Josiah’s FD‑spec C6.
Sunday brought colder temperatures and rain, creating tricky on‑track conditions. Despite the weather, fans lined up early and waited patiently for the gates to open. Large puddles filled every imperfection in the track surface, sending up huge splashes when hit. As the stands quickly filled, the Top 16 drivers prepped their cars for battle. Right before the bracket began, the sun broke through, leaving the track patchy and unpredictable. Working through the bracket from 16 drivers, only 4 remained once the sun set. MA Motorsports’ Brian Hoplamazian was paired against LZ, while on the other side Chelsea faced Josiah, who had already podiumed the night before. Chelsea and Adam met in the finals for a ‘former RTR driver’ showdown. Once the smoke settled, DeNofa earned a well‑deserved 1st‑place finish thanks to his tight transitions and aggressive dives on LZ. Rounding out the podium, Hop was defeated by Josiah, who undoubtedly turned the most laps of the entire weekend. Dan Savage, former FD pro2 champion, was invited to the event to be a judge and told me about his weekend.
Eric Goodrich: As a judge over the course of the weekend was there a battle that stuck out the most?
Dan Savage: The finals. For some reason, I didn’t realize that Adam and Chelsea were on opposite sides, but once that was happening I thought to myself “this is gonna be crazy.” Chelsea did a heck of a chase, but the cleanliness of his run in my opinion wasn’t as good as Adams. I gave Adam the win, but the other judges voted for Chelsea because of the insanity of his chase. I thought he wasn’t placing the car as accurately as Adam.
EG: What was the hardest call in your opinion during the competition?
DS: Josiah versus Tommy Lamire. After going OMT, that one took the longest and Josiah barely edged him out due to his commitment into outer 3.
EG: Was there a driver who surprised you out on track?
DS: Sean Booth due to his overall consistency the entire weekend. No matter who he was paired up against, practice, fantasy battles, and comp; He was hungry for doors.
EG: You got to do some driving on Friday before the weekend started, how did that go?
DS: It was awesome, I was really anticipating how my car was going to perform on the FD layout and I wasn’t disappointed. Of course, I wanna have a little bit more power, but it wasn’t until I started chasing that I realized I can make do with the power I have. It all depended on how I placed the car and attacked the lead driver. Once I figured out the course, it was a riot. I really did enjoy it, and I can totally understand why it works so well for tandems.
EG: Overall what did you think of your first LZWT
DS: The Drift Game team runs an outstanding event; I was really impressed how smooth the weekend went and stuck to a tight schedule. We had to adjust a little for the rain, but I was blown away. I think having both Dave and Ian on the mic was some of the best commentary I've been around. This was one of the best events I’ve ever attended and I was so surprised when I was invited to be a judge.
As the podium ceremony wrapped up, fans funneled out of the venue still smiling from the experience. Two more events are planned for the 2026 World Tour, the first across the pond at Castle Combe Circuit in the UK, and the second just over the border at ICAR Mirabel in Canada. With the success of the 2026 stop, fans are already hoping for a return to E‑Town in 2027.
Check out the rest of Wrecked's photo coverage from LZ World Tour at the Gallery
