NHRA’s Ron Capps, Angelle Sampey Reach Ultimate Recognition Together

NHRA’s Capps, Sampey Reach Top Recognition Together Hearst Owned There stood Angelle Sampey, dazzling in a red evening gown, wearing red gloves that climbed above her elbows. It was in 2000, at the Universal Amphitheater in Southern California, where she was presented a $30,000 check for earning the first of her three consecutive NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle championships. She had spoken no more than a dozen brief sentences when an NHRA executive standing at the edge of the stage gave her the high sign to wrap up her reflections.

A bit stunned, Sampey (who raced then as Angelle Seeling) replied, “You don’t make John Force be quiet and get off the stage. ” That small retort—and the fact she even had to say that at all—defines her path to 46 victories, multiple championships (2000-2002), and a newfound goal of moving from a motorcycle to a 12,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster. Hers was a rocky road to success.

Competitors told her to “grow a set” of body parts that God did not intend for her to have. She was verbally harassed. She and Steve Johnson since have made peace with and developed respect for one another, but in the beginning, she said, “We truly hated each other.

We had arguments and almost fights off the track. I wanted to put my hands on him a couple of times. It was a genuine hate.