A champion that year, with backing from Red Bull, Dupont, and General Motors, it looked like he and his team would be contenders in drag racing for years to come.

Unfortunately, near the end of the same year, everything changed.

After about a decade-long run, with the National Import Drag Racing (NIRA) series its predecessor, the NHRA folded their sport compact division, leaving Nopi, a rival series with similar rules and regulations, the lone series in the discipline. But, only a few months later, Nopi folded, leaving all competitors seemingly out in the cold.

Gary Gardella, an Import Drag Racer hailing from Jackson, New Jersey, was taking Import Drag Racing by storm in 2007.

A champion that year, with backing from Red Bull, Dupont, and General Motors, it looked like he and his team would be contenders in drag racing for years to come.

Unfortunately, near the end of the same year, everything changed.

After about a decade-long run, with the National Import Drag Racing (NIRA) series its predecessor, the NHRA folded their sport compact division, leaving Nopi, a rival series with similar rules and regulations, the lone series in the discipline. But, only a few months later, Nopi folded, leaving all competitors seemingly out in the cold.

“It was really tough for me because the NHRA didn’t really let any of us know,” recalled Gardella. “They worked something out with Nopi, and said ‘Here you go. Nopi’s taking over.’ But then, halfway through the season, Nopi said ‘That’s it. Racing’s over.'”

Leaving the sport he loved was devastating for Gardella, who would eventually give up driving to focus on managing his team.

“It was really tough,” he explained. “I had so much invested in drag racing. We would test a few times a week, it was a full-time operation and then (Nopi) said ‘That’s it. No more racing.’ It was really tough, and not just getting a different driver for a sport; I was fine with that. But, getting out of drag racing just killed me, and still does to this day.”

It didn't take Gardella long to land on his feet, as he stepped into a seemingly unlikely world: drifting. “I followed the transition of other guys who got out of drag racing early and switched over to drifting,” he said. “They told me how good it was doing, and that’s what made me want to get involved with that series. I could see drag racing was falling apart, but I didn’t want to get out of motorsports.“

Despite moving into a new a discipline, a drifting championship was still the expectation. “We knew we could compete with other guys with big-time sponsorships and manufacturer backing. In the first event in 2009, we went out and won so we went ‘I think we’ve got a good combination here.’ We ended up doing real well all season, but ended up (finishing) second in the championship by six points.”

The disappointment of 2009 behind them, 2010 is shaping up to another successful season, as the team sits fourth in the championship standings.

Still, a return to drag racing, Gardella’s first love, remains a goal, and one he is set on achieving. What series they’ll race in and what car they’ll use are not yet finalized, but it’s something he’s working toward.

“Within the next few years, I’m going to have a team out drag racing. I’m not going to drive, because doing (drifting and drag racing) takes up a lot of time. But, within three to five years, we’ll be out there. It’s in my blood, and that’s what I’ve lived for. “