Angelle Sampey on her bike in 2005.

Angelle Sampey (born Angelle Monique Sampey, August 7, 1970, New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American drag racer, originally in Pro Stock Motorcycle but currently in Top Alcohol Dragster. She won the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle championship three times (2000-2002). Since her debut in 1996, she has earned an all-time class record 45 top-qualifier awards[1] and 46 event victories, the most wins for any female in both NHRA competition and professional motor sports as a whole. On June 23, 2007 at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey, she scored her 42nd career pole position and more importantly set the national Pro Stock Motorcycle elapsed time record with a 6.871 second run.[2] Following her April 1, 2007 win in Houston, Texas, Sampey was just 5 wins away from setting the all-time Pro Stock Motorcycle wins record, currently held by Dave Schultz.[3] Sampey also holds the active record of 182 consecutive races without a Did not qualify,[4] dating all the way back to her professional debut.[5] She also holds the mark of 364 round wins in 506 competitive rounds, which calculates to a 71.9% win-per-round ratio.

Sampey raced a Suzuki from 1996 through 2007, sponsored most notably by R.J. Reynolds' Winston brand and the U.S. Army.[6]

Due to lack of sponsorship, Sampey did not race during the 2009 season, breaking her string of event qualifications.

On 11 March 2010, Sampey announced her retirement as a professional drag racer.[7]

Along with Erica Enders-Stevens, Shirley Muldowney, Brittany Force, and Christina Nielsen, Sampey is one of a very few women to have won a major motorsports championship title; she, Enders-Stevens and Muldowney are the only female drag racers to have scored more than ten NHRA event wins, as well as the only three women in the sport to win more than one championship in their respective divisions, Muldowney with three in Top Fuel, Enders-Stevens with five in Pro Stock and Sampey with three in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Angelle is considered the winningest female in professional motorsports history with 41 career wins.[8]

Sampey also raced under her married names Angelle Seeling and Angelle Savoie.[9]

On 13 September 2014, it was announced that Sampey would return before the end of the 2014 NHRA season, and will compete for the championship in 2015.[10] She raced until 2022, when at the end of the 2022 season, she left Vance & Hines Suzuki.

In August 2023, she made the transition into Top Alcohol Dragster, joining fellow former Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Antron Brown on his AB Motorsports Accelerate program. After earning her A/Fuel licence in Jasmine Salinas' TA/D (the sister of Jianna Evaristo, another PSM rider), she debuted at the Texas Motorplex in preparation for a season in the popular sportsman class in 2024 (under NHRA rules for the sportsman class, drivers must make selected races at regional and selected races in national events), with a future plan of racing in Top Fuel.[11] In her first race, she qualified 16th (last qualifier) at 5.356 seconds. She defeated Mike Coughlin in her first round and Tony Stewart in the second round before falling to Kirk Wolf in the semifinals.

References

  1. ↑ "Schumacher lands sixth Top Fuel title in Vegas | NHRA News". Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
  2. ↑ ProCare Rx NHRA SuperNationals PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
  3. ↑ Sampey Takes First Win of Motorcycle Racing Season
  4. ↑ "Las Vegas II: Antron Brown preview | NHRA News". Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
  5. ↑ O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals: Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GXP
  6. ↑ NHRA News: (12/20/2007)
  7. ↑ "Former Pro Stock Motorcycle champ Sampey retires". Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-11.
  8. ↑ "Angelle Sampey Officially Retires". Archived from the original on 2010-07-14. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
  9. ↑ "Angelle Sampey Officially Retires". Archived from the original on 2010-07-14. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
  10. ↑ "Three-time champion Sampey-Drago reuniting with Star Racing in return to competition". Archived from the original on 16 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  11. ↑ "Pro Stock Motorcycle icon Angelle Sampey earns A/Fuel license for late 2023 debut". NHRA.com. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
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