Austin Phipps

Motorsports rarely go as planned, and for Austin Phipps and the Mullet sport Racing crew, round one of the season turned into a crash course in perseverance, teamwork, and quick thinking. After arriving early, Friday quickly became a full-on repair day. The team replaced a broken axle, passed technical inspection, and even managed their series photo session. Before declaring the car race-ready, they took one last precaution to check the valve train. Pulling the valve covers uncovered a serious issue, four aluminum rocker arms had stripped, letting the rollers drop into the engine.

Heading into Round 1, the team lucked out when Flavor Express hosted an open drift night at the same venue earlier in the week. Seizing the chance, the crew arrived a day early to get some valuable seat time with the car’s freshly built Icon Pistons motor. That move turned out to be crucial. After the first lap, they started dealing with a crank sensor issue that cut their track time short. Only three solid laps were in the books before another setback hit a broken axle from the aggressive transition off the banking.

Before repairs could start, the missing pieces needed to be located. Luckily, the team still had their old stainless steel rocker arms among the engine spares. Even better, support from German Elite Tuning was still close at hand drove 5 hours from Arizona to California, With the car partially disassembled, the team began searching for the missing components. Using magnets, they started at the cylinder heads and worked their way deeper into the motor, eventually reaching the oil pan. After an intense search, three complete rollers were recovered along with fragments of the fourth. To minimize risk, the team attached additional magnets to the oil pan and continued with repairs.

Fine tuning the setup came after watching other drivers during practice tire pressures were dropped, shocks softened, and boost turned up. The tweaks made the car feel better, but a perfect lap still felt just out of reach heading into qualifying. The strategy was straightforward: run a clean, steady lap. With fresh, warmed-up tires, the car launched in second gear for the fastest line to the bank, as practice had shown. The throttle came up quickly, the shift to third was smooth, and as Austin committed to the entry, he yanked the handbrake to set the angle into the first zone.

Fresh Liqui Moly oil was added to the engine while the stainless rocker arms were installed and adjusted, and the car was finally ready for practice. Due to extensive repairs, the team missed much of the first session, managing only one run during the opening window. The first lap was cautious, but the second was anything but an aggressive entry led to contact with the wall on the bank, sending the team back to the pits for emergency repairs. Luckily, the schedule allowed a one-hour break before the next two-hour practice block. The crew quickly tore down the damaged rear end and pulled off a series of quick fixes, including some creative zip tie engineering, to get the car back on track.

His team had other ideas. The Fastest Pit Crew Moment of the Weekend. The Mullet sport Racing crew immediately went to work. The right rear suspension was disassembled down to the subframe where the team discovered the root of the problem: a bushing had taken the entire impact and had simply ejected 

Suddenly, the car was pulled into the wall. With boost gone and no drive, it drifted back into the wall again, breaking a wheel and damaging the rear knuckle. Unaware of the full damage and with the run being broadcast live, Austin tried to finish before parking the car in the pits, assuming the weekend was over.

After warming up a fresh set of tires, Austin pulled to the starting line. Something immediately felt wrong as the tires unloaded and the lead driver began pulling away. Staying calm, he paced behind the lead driver, knowing the banking could provide an opportunity to close the gap. Entering gently, he set the car and applied throttle. The car suddenly snapped around “like hitting a banana in Mario Kart.” At that moment, Austin’s wife and spotter Hails came across the radio: "Just focus on this lap. You got this. Just drive.  

Miraculously, the braking system supplied by EBC Brakes stayed completely intact. With a mix of thread locker, clamps, hammer tweaks, and plenty of zip ties, the crew managed to patch the suspension just enough to get back in the game. By the end of qualifying, several drivers didn’t make the cut, but Mulletsport Racing slid into the final spot at 31st in a 31-car field. After the chaos, the autograph session brought a welcome reset, with fans lining up to meet drivers, snap photos, and soak in the event’s energy.

The crowd’s excitement reminded the team why they were there the qualifying order didn’t matter; they were just pumped to watch drifting. That same energy carried into the Top 32 battles, where Mulletsport Racing faced the #3 qualifier under serious pressure.

"The Run of the Weekend Temperatures had dropped rapidly, and the team realized the tires had not been warmed up enough. Fortunately, a turbocharged V8 powerplant can solve that quickly. Pulling to the line again for the lead run, everything became quiet. No chaos. No pressure. Just another lap.

A light flick into the first zone set the car perfectly before full throttle was applied. This time the car hooked up. Flat-footed through the bank, the car followed every steering input perfectly, producing the cleanest run of the entire weekend. The Real Victory When the car rolled off track, the team knew something important had happened. Round 1 had become more than just a competition result. It was proof that the team could handle the pressure of professional drifting. While Austin Phipps has years of drifting experience, this was the first professional competition event for most of the Mulletsport Racing crew.

They stepped up when it mattered. "They won the weekend,” Austin said afterward. Despite the chaos, the team learned a tremendous amount about the car, the setup, and their ability to adapt under pressure. The plan moving forward is simple, No major changes. Just repairs, preparation, and continued progress. Round 1 was only the beginning and Mulletsport Racing is just getting started.

They stepped up when it mattered. “They won the weekend,” Austin said afterward. Despite the chaos, the team gained valuable insight into the car, the setup, and their ability to adapt under pressure. The plan moving forward is simple: no major changes, just repairs, preparation, and steady progress. Round 1 was only the beginning, and Mullet Sport Racing is just getting started.

Photographer: Sam Stoutenburg

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