The Goodest Cast - Hangout with the Drift Community

Jimmy Oakes is a Connecticut based car builder, BMXer, and driver. He also hosts a Youtube channel covering all his car builds and trips driving all over the world. Jimmy is also a part of Front Street Drift Team, which is one of the premiere drift teams in the US known for their clean S Chassis builds and aggressive driving style. Over my time getting to know Jimmy it is obvious this man lives and breathes drifting. The level of his chase driving skill shows that and is proof BMX kids pick up drifting quickly. Guest: https://www.instagram.com/jimmyoakes/ Sponsors: Use “goodest” at checkout for a deal with all of them!https://tirestreets.com/goodest https://www.chasebays.com/ https://kanseiwheels.com/Goodest Co: https://goodestco.com get parts, merch and a bunch of other stuff!Patreon: https://patreon.com/Goodestcast Get episodes, merch, and announcements early! Join the free tier and never miss an episode drop.Host IG: https://www.instagram.com/palmer_sndrsn/Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/goodestcast/

Tommy Roberts is a West Coast Drifting Icon. You have undoubtedly seen one of his signature gold S13’s over the years. His drifting style mixed with car style has caught the attention of some of your favorite car builders and drivers over the years. Tommy is a humble guy who after all these years is still finding ways to give back to drifting. He is a Hot Pit Judge, he works at Part Shop Max, and is still building extremely well done cars. We talk about his influences, his goals within drifting, and the early days of running around with Matt Powers. He was able to compete in China in the early days and has had some crazy experiences. Drifting is a lucky to have Tommy Roberts around, and we should all strive to give back to the thing that’s given us so much. Guest: https://www.instagram.com/tommyroberts/Sponsors: Use “goodest” at checkout for a deal with all of them!https://tirestreets.com/goodest https://fuelab.com/ https://www.chasebays.com/ https://kanseiwheels.com/Goodest Co: https://goodestco.com get parts, merch and a bunch of other stuff!Patreon: https://patreon.com/Goodestcast Get episodes, merch, and announcements early! Join the free tier and never miss an episode drop.Host IG: https://www.instagram.com/palmer_sndrsn/Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/goodestcast/

Julian Jacobs and Ryan Kado have been pushing themselves within the sport and the sport itself for well over two decades. It’s always been for the love of driving hard, building cars that push the limits of cool, and doing it all with a smile. Sitting down and recapping all the insane experiences they have had all because of their love for drifting is nothing but humbling. These two have always been about driving hard, putting on a show, and sharing the energy they love about drifting with as many people as they can. That’s what Super D is all about. With Animal Style now reaching fifteen years, they are still finding ways to keep pushing the teams driving and impact on the sport. I am lucky to call these two friends and to have shared some of the incredible ride with them. Guests: https://www.instagram.com/ryankado/https://www.instagram.com/animaljuju/Sponsors: https://goodest.short.gy/303protect for the best car protectant you can buyhttps://koruworks.com/ 15% off their Koru products using “goodestboi”https://tirestreets.com/goodest “goodest" for a discount on the whole site!https://goodest.short.gy/tweed_auto_garage To export parts, cars, or anything on the Japan sidehttps://www.instagram.com/golden_era_engine_lab/Goodest Co: https://goodestco.com (grab some merch to support the podcast!)Patreon: https://patreon.com/Goodestcast Get episodes, merch, and announcements early!Host IG: https://www.instagram.com/palmer_sndrsn/Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/goodestcast/

Sara Choi joins The Goodest Cast for one of our most unfiltered episodes yet. From sneaking out to street races in Hawaii to hosting underground car meets in Japan, Sara’s story is a raw and adrenaline-packed ride through car culture, identity, and healing.We talk about: – Street racing and growing up in Hawaii – How cars became her escape from home as a teenager – Hondas, drifting, and late nights on the Kanjo – Her journey through Japan’s car scene and finding drifting – Mental health, psychedelics (“vegetables”), and ending generational trauma – Gumball 3000, international competition, and balancing it allThis episode isn’t just about cars. It’s about survival, transformation, and how the right kind of chaos can change your life for the better. Guest: https://www.instagram.com/sara.choi/Sponsors: https://www.chasebays.com/ “goodestcast” for 5% so you can transfer fluid like a prohttps://goodest.short.gy/303carcare for the best car car product you can buyhttps://koruworks.com/ 15% off their Koru products using “goodestboi”https://tirestreets.com/goodest goodest" for 15% off Accelera 651s & 351s click the link for 10% off the rest and enter "goodest10"Goodest Co: https://goodestco.com (grab some merch to support the podcast!)Patreon: https://patreon.com/Goodestcast Get episodes, merch, and announcements early!Host IG: https://www.instagram.com/palmer_sndrsn/Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/goodestcast/

In this episode, we sit down with the legendary Chelsea DeNofa—FD Champion, RTR driver, and one of the most aggressive and passionate drifters in the game. Chelsea takes us all the way back to his BMX roots and how he transitioned into drifting before the sport really blew up in the U.S. We talk about the early street days, crashing cars with no regrets, the harsh reality of professional competition, and what finally pushed him to step away from Formula Drift.Chelsea gets honest about burnout, chasing dreams with no money, evolving as a driver, and what it really takes to make it work when you love something so much it hurts. If you're into drifting, car culture, or just love hearing the story behind the driver—this one’s a must.Topics include:Chelsea’s start in BMX and early drift daysCrashing, learning, and street drifting cultureThe pressure and burnout of Formula DriftWhat makes team tandems and grassroots events specialWhy professional drifting sometimes loses its soulWorking with RTR and setting up the Mustang for battleHis favorite car builds (including a wild E36 in Japan)Guest: https://www.instagram.com/chelseadenofa/Sponsors:https://www.chasebays.com/ 5% off with code “Goodestcast” https://koruworks.com/ 15% off their Koru products using “goodestboi”https://tirestreets.com/goodest "goodest" for 15% off Accelera 651s & 351s click the link for 10% off the restGoodest Co: https://goodestco.com (grab some merch to support the podcast!)Patreon: https://patreon.com/GoodestcastHost IG: https://www.instagram.com/palmer_sndrsn/Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/goodestcast/

Aaron and Kendal come through for one of the last podcasts recorded at the LA house! We’ve had some crazy times around drifting over the last couple of years. It’s always good to have these hang out episodes with no agenda. We tried to get Laura to do the podcast with us, but she needs some more convincing so let her know in the comments if you want to see that. Guests: https://www.instagram.com/sidewayshatch https://www.instagram.com/kendal240sx Sponsors: https://fuelab.com/ 15% off with code “Goodest” get the best fuel system products in the game.https://koruworks.com/ 15% off their Koru products using “goodestboi”https://tirestreets.com/goodest "goodest651" for 15% off Accelera 651s & 351s “goodest10” for 10% off the restGoodest Co: https://goodestco.com (grab some merch to support the podcast!)Patreon: https://patreon.com/GoodestcastHost IG: https://www.instagram.com/palmer_sndrsn/Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/goodestcast/

Sebastian is a very talented guy. He loves building vehicles and looks at every part of them as a different art form. Working at Koruworks and building his own cars he has taught himself how to do not one but many of the challenging skill sets some people spend a lifetime trying to perfect. As a judge for Final Bout he picks apart driving and also car building along with execution. Learning about his history and talking about his team drift team, Garage Moon Power was really interesting. It’s crazy what some people can do with with limited resources and a lot of passion. Guest: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/cerebralnebula/⁠ Sponsors:⁠ ⁠ ⁠https://fuelab.com/⁠ 15% off with code “Goodest” get the best fuel system products in the game. ⁠https://koruworks.com/⁠ 15% off their Koru products using “goodestboi” ⁠https://tirestreets.com/goodest⁠ "goodest651" for 20% off Accelera 651s “goodest15” for 15% off the rest Goodest Co: ⁠https://goodestco.com⁠ (grab some merch to support the podcast!) Patreon: ⁠https://patreon.com/Goodestcast⁠ Host IG: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/palmer_sndrsn/⁠ Podcast IG: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/goodestcast/⁠

Gregg Bucell runs Koruworks, a staple in the drifting community. He is a professional drifting spotter, judge, commentator, car builder, drifter, and all around character. We talk about everything from the shop origins, our love for Dennis Anderson, to how Formula Drift could it’s best. It’s a wild ride and we wouldn’t expect anything less. Gregg loves drifting and it’s community with all his heart. He will continue to fight to keep the sport cool, exciting, and make sure the people that bring that energy are supported. Guest: https://www.instagram.com/gregg.bucell/ Sponsor: https://fuelab.com/ 15% off with code “Goodest” get the best fuel system products in the game. https://koruworks.com/ 15% off their Koru products using “goodestboi” https://tirestreets.com/goodest "goodest651" for 20% off Accelera 651s “goodest15” for 15% off the rest Goodest Co: https://goodestco.com (grab some merch to support the podcast!) Host IG: https://www.instagram.com/palmer_sndrsn/ Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/goodestcast/

Dom is one of the west coast drifting scene's most low-key guys. He has toured in a band that played the Warped Tour and has driven his Z32 drift car from California to Chicago and back. Dom is an amazing driver and car builder. His 300zx is one of the most iconic drift builds of that chassis type in the US. Even with all that background, he's humble, and you would never know unless you asked—so we did. We talk about his origins with the Goldstar drift team and how that came together. There's a lot to cover, and we've been friends for at least ten years, so there's a lot of lore. Guest: https://www.instagram.com/dominic_goldstar/ Sponsor: https://fuelab.com/ 15% off with code “Goodest” get the best fuel system products in the game. https://koruworks.com/ 15% off their Koru Works products using “goodestboi” https://tirestreets.com/goodest "goodest651" for 20% off Accelera 651s “goodest15” for 15% off the rest Goodest Co: https://goodestco.com (grab some merch to support the podcast!) Host IG: https://www.instagram.com/palmer_sndrsn/ Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/goodestcast/

Sebastian, Nikos, and Mike all came up in the car scene together in New Jersey. Through their passion for street racing, drifting, and cool cars captured in unique ways, this led them to chase their dreams in Los Angeles. Seb fell into becoming a curator of cars in music videos and other productions simply based on his passion. Having the desire to properly represent what we know is cool in the drift community is important to all of us and Seb and his team nail it. Mike has been creating visual works of art for a long time, and that led him to the west coast to work on some really cool music videos and other productions as a director of photography along with working with Seb on providing some of the coolest cars on the planet for projects. Nikos is a Toyota diehard and Auto Real Dream teammember who has built some very cool cars over the years. He took a leap and has now joined his east coast friends' journey out west. We sit down and talk about H2Oi, drifting influences, how long the shelf life of drifting in the forefront of pop culture will last, working as media at Rolling Loud in the early days, riding shotgun on the Kanjo Loop with Osaka’s outlaw Civic street racers, and of course origin stories. Guests: https://www.instagram.com/srodriguez92/ https://www.instagram.com/mkoziel/ https://www.instagram.com/rd_nikos/ Sponsor: https://fuelab.com/ 15% off with code “Goodest” get the best fuel system products around https://koruworks.com/ 15% off their Koru products using “goodestboi” https://tirestreets.com/goodest "goodest651" for 20% off Accelera 651s “goodest15” for 15% off the rest Goodest Co: https://goodestco.com (grab some merch or follow us on other channels) Host IG: https://www.instagram.com/palmer_sndrsn/Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/goodestcast/

Toshi is well known in the drift community for his driving style. Early on, it was his street drifting, and more recently, his aggressive style on track. Despite facing a few very rough years due to a court case in Japan that seemingly took everything from him, Toshi never lost his passion for drifting. This passion became one of the driving forces behind his determination to prove his innocence. After a three-year battle, he was found not guilty and is now back up and running with his export business. He is attacking drifting full force to make up for lost time. We talk about Toshi’s court case, Japanese prison, the Japanese justice system, drifting techniques, street drifting, and, of course, his origin story. Guest: https://www.instagram.com/s15_alpha/ Sponsor: https://fuelab.com/ 15% off with code “Goodest” get the best fuel system products around https://koruworks.com/ 15% off their Koru products using “goodestboi” https://tirestreets.com/goodest "goodest651" for 20% off Accelera 651s “goodest15” for 15% off the rest Goodest Co: https://goodestco.com (grab some merch or follow us on other channels) Host IG: https://www.instagram.com/palmer_sndrsn/ Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/goodestcast/

Ryota Hirakawa AKA @splash0327 is a Meihan local Drifter out of Osaka Japan. He runs Cutting Works Splash and has been drifting well over a decade. He has traveled the world and made friends all throughout the drift community due to his friendly nature and hard driving style. He has been pushing his driving on some of the most notoriously difficult tracks in the world and is ultra dedicated to the sport. We also have one of our Goodest Cast crowd favorites back Branden Mace AKA @macey14. Branden has been living in Japan for over a decade and once was an early 20’s dude from Australia running around Osaka, streeting and going to drive the “hills” with Jesse Streeter. Now he’s a family man and has been in Japan a long time. He is also pushing in his S15 harder and harder. We talk about some of the interesting details of Japanese drifting especially Kansai All Stars, along with some of the other nuances and difficulties. We were all exhausted filming this but we pulled through for you guys. I hope you like this episode! Guests: https://www.instagram.com/macey14/ https://www.instagram.com/splash0327/ Sponsor: https://fuelab.com/ 15% off with code “Goodest” get the best fuel system products around https://koruworks.com/ 15% off their Koru products using “goodestboi” https://tirestreets.com/goodest "goodest651" for 20% off Accelera 651s “goodest15” for 15% off the rest Goodest Co: https://goodestco.com (grab some merch or follow us on other channels) Host IG: https://www.instagram.com/palmer_sndrsn/Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/goodestcast/

Geoff Pitts was responsible for running Thunder Drift which Formula Drift pro licensed quite a few Northern California drivers including a few of my Animal Style teammates. He ran events, announced events, and now he’s a race director for a prestigious vintage motorsports group. It’s always cool to see where drifting takes people next. Geoff Pitts also was Ryan Kado’s spotter in FD along with shooting for Life Blasters which was a sort of alt Speedhunters. In an absence of drifting Events in Northern California Geoff stepped up and made it happen for us. Geoff has been around a lot of cool stuff over the years and we try to talk about as much as we can in the time we have. Guest: https://www.instagram.com/funkycoldsubpoena/ Sponsors: https://fuelab.com/ 15% off with code “Goodest” get the best fuel system products around https://koruworks.com/ 15% off their Koru products using “goodestboi” https://tirestreets.com/goodest "goodest651" for 20% off Accelera 651s “goodest15” for 15% off the rest Goodest Co: https://goodestco.com (grab some merch or follow us on other channels) Host IG: https://www.instagram.com/palmer_sndrsn/ Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/goodestcast/