| September 22, 2021
If would be easy to forgive Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Angelle Sampey if she was overly emotional following her latest NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle win at the DeWalt Carolina Nationals in Charlotte, September 17-19. A native of Southern Louisiana, Sampey hasn’t been home since Hurricane Ida ravaged the area two weeks ago.
Sampey went up against Steve Johnson, who appeared to have the win but a mechanical denied him of that chance.
By Kevin McKenna
The event was an emotional one for the entire Pro Stock Motorcycle fraternity after Cory Reed was injured following a high-speed collision with his teammate, Joey Gladstone. Reed suffered a broken ankle in the crash and Gladstone, who had a crash of his own earlier this year in testing, managed to get back on his bike and reach the final round. A storybook ending would have had Gladstone winning his first NHRA race and bringing the trophy to his injured teammate, but fate intervened in the final round. Gladstone left first and appeared to be well on his way to a long-overdue first win, but his kill switch vibrated loose, and his Suzuki went silent, allowing Sampey to ride to her 44th career win.
It was Sampey’s first win in more than a year but like everyone else, her thoughts were with Reed.
“I felt very guilty, especially after what happened with Cory,” Sampey said. “And I know how bad Joey wants this. And I want to see everybody win their first race. And it was probably the least happy I’ve ever been to win. And I was emotionally torn because I wanted to win it so bad for my friends and family back at home. I wanted to win it for my team. I wanted to win for Vance & Hines and Mission but I hated to take it away from Joey in that fashion.”
VIDEO | Angelle Sampey Races to Emotional Victory in Charlotte
Sampey was a finalist earlier this year in Pomona and the recent U.S. Nationals at Indy, but she hadn’t been able to find the winner’s circle since returning to a Suzuki this season. Sampey qualified number two with a 6.848 and rode to wins against Ryan Oehler and Vance & Hines teammates Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec during Sunday’s final eliminations. Sampey reached the final with runs of 6.907 and 6.863. The win over Hines was especially rewarding since Sampey used a starting-line holeshot to get the job done.
“We have struggled this year without Suzuki,” Sampey said. “I didn’t think it was going to be this hard, especially after learning how to ride a Harley, because that was pretty tough, and I mastered it. And just when I got it, they took it away from me and put me on this rocket ship. I was struggling on the bike, but I finally am coming around with it. I’m not exactly where I need to be.”
Angelle Sampey celebrates an emotional win at Charlotte.
Gladstone, who also rides a Vance & Hines prepared Suzuki, qualified a solid number four with a pair of 6.88s, and then rode to wins against Jianna Salinas, before taking on his teammate, Reed. That race ended in disaster when Reed’s bike crossed into Gladstone’s lane after the finish line. Reed’s rear tire hit Gladstone’s bike. Gladstone managed to stay upright, but Reed hit the pavement while his bike tumbled. Reed sat up quickly, grabbing his ankle. He was conscious and alert while transported to a local hospital.
Gladstone returned for his semifinal race against Steve Johnson, the low qualifier and incoming points leader. Johnson appeared to have won the race, but his bike clipped a timing block near the finish line which resulted in a disqualification.
There are four races left in the season and the battle for the Camping World NHRA Championship is very much up in the air. Johnson remains the leader, but he’s just 17 points ahead of Sampey who has moved into second. Matt Smith, Eddie Krawiec, Scotty Pollacheck and Gladstone are also in contention, with just 101 points separating the top six.
For more information, visit NHRA.com
