Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...
) is an American
Pro Stock Motorcycle
Pro Stock Motorcycle, formerly known as Pro Stock Bike, is a motorcycle drag racing class that is the two-wheeled equivalent of Pro Stock. It has been a feature of NHRA
The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a drag racing governing bo ...
racer. She won the
NHRA
The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorspo ...
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 and 42 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
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...
, 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. 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. Sampey also holds the active record of 182 consecutive races without a ''Did Not Qualify'', dating all the way back to her professional debut. 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.
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.
Along with Erica Enders-Stevens, Shirley Muldowney, Brittany Force, and
Christina Nielsen
Christina Nielsen (born 10 January 1992 in Hørsholm, Denmark) is a Danish racing driver who is the first female driver to win a WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series title. She is the daughter of racing driver Lars-Erik Nielsen, who raced in ...
, 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
Top Fuel is a type of drag racing whose dragsters are the quickest accelerating racing cars in the world and the fastest sanctioned category of drag racing, with the fastest competitors reaching speeds of and finishing the runs in 3.62 second ...
, Enders-Stevens with three in Pro Stock and Sampey with three in
Pro Stock Motorcycle
Pro Stock Motorcycle, formerly known as Pro Stock Bike, is a motorcycle drag racing class that is the two-wheeled equivalent of Pro Stock. It has been a feature of NHRA
The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a drag racing governing bo ...
. Angelle is considered the winningest female in professional motorsports history with 41 career wins.
Sampey also raced under her married names Angelle Seeling and Angelle Savoie.
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.
References
Gallery
File:AngelleSampey2001.jpg, Sampey in 2001 talking to a fan at the Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway in
Commerce, Georgia
Commerce is a city in Jackson County, Georgia, northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 7,387.
History Native American history
Before European settlers arrived, the area around present-day Commerce was inhabit ...
File:Army racing Angelle Sampey.jpg, Angelle Sampey on her bike in 2007