PUTTING DOWN ROOTS

Sung Kang's uncommon authenticity is grounded in deep relationships within the tuning community.

- CARTER JUNG

A. (Previous pages) Sung Kang poses with the Toyota Corolla hero car from his movie Drifter.

B. From left: Erick Aguilar, Sung Kang, Mike Spagnola, Gwan Thé, and Kenji Sumino.

WHITE MARSHMALLOW CLOUDS float across the blue skies of New Jersey.

It's before noon on a late-summer Sunday, and a cool breeze rustles through the trees. Despite the abnormally pleasant weather, the pressure at the Englishtown Raceway Park is palpable.

It's the final day of principal filming for Drifter, a feature-length film written by, directed by, and starring Sung Kang. If the endless pivoting and problem-solving that come with production aren't enough, the shoot day runs in conjunction with the Legends of Drift event, a ticketed competition that's completely sold out. Meaning that the extras on set are thousands of paying spectators, an arena-size jury scrutinizing every take. Best known for playing Han in the Fast & Furious films, Kang is taking a huge swing with Drifter, an attempt to tell a story inspired by his journey into car culture. In many ways, it's an expression of gratitude for everything the car world has given him.

Despite the crowded grandstands, Kang is locked in. He walks out to a cherry-red '86 Toyota Corolla sitting in the paddock, shadowed by a gimbal-wielding camera operator and a sound engineer craning a boom mic. Sporting a red race suit and tattered sneakers, Kang paces around the AE86, affectionately known as Lola.

An announcer's voice warbles over the PA system that the next round of drifting is about to begin. The vehicles in the background roar to life—engines rev, and smoke cascades from spinning rear tires. The Drifter