NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

With three world championships and 41 career victories, Pro Stock Motorcycle standout Angelle Sampey knows the components of a winning motorcycle.

If her thoughts on the new Star Racing Buell she debuted this year are any indication, plenty of success is headed Sampey’s way during the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

Feeling as good as she has since returning to the sport in 2014, Sampey hopes to add to her success at Atlanta Dragway. She boasts four career victories at the facility, which is also the home track for her Star Racing team, and Sampey, who last won a race in 2007, has her sights on a fifth victory at the 36th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, May 13-15.

“I’m so excited about this motorcycle,” said Sampey, who retired in 2008 before returning late in the 2014 season. “Not only the power and the performance, but I’m so in love with the bike itself. They did an excellent job building it. It fits me perfectly and just handles so well.

“I just love it. I’ve been riding someone else’s bike for a long time now, and I got a brand-new motorcycle this year. It is a huge difference. It fits me, and I feel so comfortable when I’m on it. Knowing I can handle it and feel comfortable, that’s a huge confidence boost and makes it fun. I can’t wait to get on it again and that’s the real fun part.”

Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock), and Hector Arana Sr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of the event at Georgia’s House of Speed. The race will be televised on FOX Sports 1 with qualifying shows on Friday and Saturday and three hours of finals coverage on Sunday. It is the seventh of 24 events in the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, and the third of 16 races for the Pro Stock Motorcycle competitors. 

Sampey has made progress at the first two events, qualifying well and winning her first round of the year at the most recent event in Charlotte. She qualified third there before a red-light disqualification ended what had been a productive weekend.

After the three-race appearance in 2014, Sampey raced eight times a year ago, advancing to one final round. But with a new bike, along with some serious off-the-track dedication, Sampey believes she can be a championship contender again.

“I feel better now than I ever have,” said Sampey, who is currently ninth in points. “I took six years off and had no idea what kind of performance I was going to be able to give. But I started training and doing a lot of different things, and I feel like a better rider and racer than the year before I stopped. I’m a lot more focused. I’m at the gym almost every day, and I’ve got a great bike and a great team.”

Sampey attributed much of that renewed focus and drive to the birth of her daughter. She admitted to looking at things differently these days, but her desire and hunger to win remains as strong as ever. In fact, getting back in the winner’s circle is Sampey’s chief motivation these days, and there is one major reason why.

“I want to win a race so my daughter can see me win,” said Sampey, whose 41 wins in PSM are third-best in class history. “I’m going to do whatever I can in my power to win at least one race for my daughter. Once I got back on the bike, I fell in love with it again.

“A victory is coming, I know it is. In Charlotte, everything was better; I just had that red-light in the second round. I was 100 percent focused and ready to race. The bike did what it was supposed to do, [but] I was on the wrong side of a great light. I was completely devastated.”

The chance for redemption comes in Atlanta, but Sampey is fully aware of the competition that stands in her way. Another huge field is expected, and it is one loaded with talent at every turn. It starts with reigning world champion Andrew Hines, a two-time Atlanta winner who won the most recent event in Charlotte, and his teammate and current points leader, Eddie Krawiec.

Others to watch include alligator farmer Jerry Savoie, 2011 event winner LE Tonglet, Hector Arana Jr., Chip Ellis, two-time world champ Matt Smith, veteran rider Steve Johnson from nearby Birmingham, Ala., Arana Sr., and 21-year-old rookie Melissa Surber. Everything has to be on point to win a race, and Sampey is making strides in that direction, noting she feels as focused as she ever has on the starting line. 

“The competition is so freaking tough,” Sampey said. “It’s not just one or two people; everybody is so good, and the class is so tight. Just qualifying in this class is a huge victory. I would be extremely excited to win one or two races, and to get a few wins and contend for a championship would be a huge blessing.”

Qualifying for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta will feature two rounds at 4 and 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 13, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, May 14, at 1:30 and 4 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 15.

To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call (800) 884-NHRA (6472) or visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. Kids 12 and under are free in general-admission areas with a paid adult.