| October 4, 2022
In the race for the 2022 NHRA Camping World Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship, the momentum has, once again, swung in favor of Denso Buell’s Matt Smith. The defending and five-time World Champion collected his fourth win of the season at the Midwest Nationals in St. Louis, September 31-October 2, and as a result, he’s taken the lead back from Reed Motorsports Suzuki’s Joey Gladstone.
Matt Smith is the new NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle points leader after winning St. Louis.
By Kevin McKenna | Photos by Matt Polito
Smith finished off a nearly perfect weekend when he topped White Alligator Suzuki’s Jerry Savoie in the final round. Smith rode to a 6.756 at 202.00 mph to easily outdistance Savoie’s 6.819-second run at 197.99 mph.
Over the course of the weekend, Smith set both ends of the track record, made a career-best run, qualified number one, picked up his fourth win of the season—and 36th victory in his career—and took over the points lead as the top of the standings changed hands for the sixth straight race in the category.
“This was a big weekend for this whole team,” Smith said. “Leaving here number one and wife, [Angie Smith] number three in points was huge for the team. This whole class is tough and we’re looking forward to going to Dallas for the next race. I had my opportunity, second round in Reading against Joey, and messed up, so it was good to make up for that here today. What a weekend here.”
On the strength of his 6.709-second, 203.22 mph run, Smith was dominant throughout the weekend and had little trouble reaching the final round with wins against Kelly Clontz and Gladstone, who came into the race with the points lead. Smith has now won five times at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis, which is the most in the class.
“This has always been a good track for me,” Smith said. “I came here in 2007 and beat Angelle [Sampey] in the final, and I remember that was a big win. We also won here in 2020 when I beat my teammate, Scotty Pollacheck, in the final. For whatever reason, my bike always seems to run well here.”
Jerry Savoie’s winning run in St. Louis ended when he met Smith in the final.
Savoie, who previously won the Bristol, Tennessee, round last June, reached the final round for the second time this season and the 32nd time in his career, knocking off Ryan Oehler, Angelle Sampey and Eddie Krawiec. Savoie also has a fondness for the St. Louis track as it was the site of his first NHRA victory in 2014. The Louisiana-based alligator farmer also won here in 2016, his championship season.
“Our bike was good this weekend, but not as good as Matt’s,” Savoie said. We made some decent runs and scored some points, but just couldn’t get it done in the final round.”
The Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s five race playoff to determine season champions, is now approaching the homestretch with two races down. In the battle for his sixth NHRA title, Smith’s points lead stands at 21 over Gladstone, while Angie Smith is third, 90 points back.
The Vance & Hines team endured a tough weekend, as riders Eddie Krawiec and Angelle Sampey each lost via a starting line holeshot. Savoie was responsible for the damage both times, as he beat Sampey in the second round and then stopped Krawiec in the semifinals. Krawiec is now ranked fourth in the standings, while Sampey is seventh. Both are still in the running for the title but have much work to do in the final three events of the season.
VIDEO | Matt Smith takes points lead with win in St. Louis
FINAL
- 1 Matt Smith (Bue)
- Jerry Savoie (Suz)
FINAL — M. Smith, 6.756, 202.00 def. Savoie, 6.819, 197.77.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE POINTS STANDINGS:
1. Matt Smith, 2,290; 2. Joey Gladstone, 2,269; 3. Angie Smith, 2,200; 4. Eddie Krawiec, 2,184; 5. Steve Johnson, 2,183; 6. Jerry Savoie, 2,182; 7. Angelle Sampey, 2,174; 8. Marc Ingwersen, 2,138; 9. Karen Stoffer, 2,109; 10. Ryan Oehler, 2,088.
