| July 18, 2022
Matt Smith has now won 34 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle events but none of his previous victories were anywhere near as dominant as his latest win at the NHRA Mile-High Nationals in Denver, July 15-17.
Matt Smith (pictured) defeated Joey Gladstone in the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle final in Denver.
By Kevin McKenna | Photos by Matt Polito
Racing in the thin mountain air at Bandimere Speedway, which sits 5800 feet above sea level, Smith made the bold decision to park the Suzuki that he’s been racing this season in favor of the Denso Buell that he rode to last year’s championship. Smith figured the V-twin combination would give him a distinct advantage over his rivals.
He was right.
During qualifying, Smith set the track record with a 7.10-second run and then powered his way through four tough rounds on race day in 95-degree heat. Smith finished the day by beating Reed Motorsports’ Suzuki’s Joey Gladstone with a 7.09, well ahead of his opponent’s otherwise competitive 7.16.
“I made the decision to race a Suzuki up here for a couple of reasons,” Smith said. “First, we don’t have a lot of parts and pieces right now, so I really have one good engine and with two races in a row, I can’t risk hurting it. Obviously, the Buell is the bike that won this race last year, and I know it pretty well. I figured it would be good to bring it out.
“We qualified number one, won the race, and set both ends of track record,” Smith said. “I can’t ask for much more than that. Now, I hate to put this bike back up in the trailer when we go to Sonoma next week, but I’m pretty committed to the Suzuki program. I honestly haven’t made up my mind yet.”
After a slow start to the season, Smith is now right there in the hunt for the 2022 title.
With such a huge advantage over the rest of the field, it might have been reasonable for Smith to feel extra pressure, but he insists otherwise. He was focused on the task at hand and was never seriously challenged as he made his way past Marc Ingwersen and three-time world champ Angelle Sampey to reach the final. Smith’s slowest run of the day was a 7.12 and that was still more than enough to cover Sampey, who slowed to a 7.25.
“I had a great bike, but there were plenty of fast Suzukis out there,” Smith said. “Joey [Gladstone] ran a 7.15 and Eddie [Krawiec] ran 7.14, so they were fast. I said from the beginning that those guys would be fast, but they just missed the tune-up a little. It’s not easy to race up here on this mountain. Sometimes it takes a few runs to get the hang of it. The Suzukis will be better up here next year. I guarantee it.”
As for Gladstone, the final round loss was his second in as many races. The Reed Motorsports rider also went to the final at the Norwalk, Ohio, round last month and he appears destined to win his first NHRA event in the near future.
Gladstone rode past Ryan Oehler, Krawiec, and Smith’s wife, Angie, to reach the final. Against Angie Smith’s Denso Buell, Gladstone made his best run of the weekend with a 7.15, while Smith’s bike slowed after a throttle-position sensor reportedly malfunctioned.
“I really wish I’d have run Angie in the final, but her bike slowed up,” Matt Smith said. “Her bike was every bit as good as mine and she could easily have won this race but it was just bad luck. Fortunately, we put a Denso Buell in the winner’s circle and that’s most important.”
With the win, Smith has officially overcome his slow start to the season. He’s climbed to third place in the Camping World NHRA standings and is just 19 points behind leader Steve Johnson and nine points behind second-ranked Sampey. Gladstone has moved to number four and is just 46 points out from first place.
The NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle class now goes from the slowest track on the tour to one of the quickest, Sonoma Raceway in Central California. There are three races remaining before the start of the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six-race playoff to determine the season champion.
FINAL
- Matt Smith (Bue)
- Joey Gladstone (Suz)
