Angelle Sampey LATEST Three women make the final 8 in Pro Stock Motorcycle this year. Angelle made it finishing 2nd in the series to date with 2060 points, 10 points behind 1st. Karen Stoffer was 4th with 2040 points, only 30 points out of first, and Peggy Llewellyn was 7th with 2010 points, 60 points back. Angelle finished 2006 in 3rd with 999 points 2007 Schedule &  Results 2007 Points Standing Background Bio - Angelle Savole Career Highlights Diversity in drag racing 2006 Results Sampey ousted in finals - 7/15/07 Sampey departs in semis - 7/1/07 Sampey resets National elapsed time record - 6/23/07 Sampey departs in semifinals - 6/11/07 Sampey beaten in finals - 5/6/07 Sampey fall in first round - 4/29/07 Sampey takes first win of the season - 4/1/07 Sampey second - 3/30/07 Sampey first round losers - 3/18/07 Sampey takes number one spot with record run - 3/17/07 Sampey ready for season opener - 3/13/07 Related Issue: Women Racers Directory, Women in Racing, Women Racers, More Women in Racing, Race Schedules, Notable Women Web Site: Appears she has closed her regular web site at www.angellesampey.net and replaced it with a MySpace page which claims she is 99 years old. www.myspace.com/angellesampey Snippets U.S. Army Pro Stock Motorcycle rider, Angelle Sampey, lost in the finals to Matt Smith here Sunday in the Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway. Sampey, who came into the weekend holding second in the standings, rolled through the likes of Chris Rivas, Karen Stoffer and Matt Guidera before committing a red light foul against Smith in the final round. *     *     * Three-time champion Angelle Sampey is back on top of her game in Pro Stock Motorcycle as she seeks her first championship since 2002. The winningest female in NHRA history has three wins this year — the most recent the 40th of her career — and regained the points lead (by 36) by winning the most recent event. *     *     * Angelle Sampey remained perfect on the season with her second win in two Pro Stock Motorcycle races, beating rival Andrew Hines with a 7.144 at 190.11 mph at the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Baytown, Texas. *     *     * Angelle set a national motorcycle speed record by negotiating the quarter mile at Reading, Pa., in 7.373 seconds, the fastest pass ever by an NHRA pro stock motorcycle by either a man or woman to earn her first NHRA victory. http://www.angelle.net/ not working (I think they mean Angelle Sampey)   Background Sampey, Angelle left her job as an intensive-care nurse to become a Pro Stock Bike racer in the NHRA in1996. In 2002 she became the second rider ever to win three consecutive NHRA titles, and tied Shirley Muldowney for most NHRA titles won by a female competitor. Today she's the winningest woman in motorsports. It didn't take long for Angelle to start turning heads at races; she won her first race in just her fourth career start. Her first year, Angelle finished seventh in points despite missing the first six events of the season. In her first full season of competition, Angelle won the 1997 All-Star Invitational and was winning the respect of her peers. By 1999, Angelle was well on her way to her goal of claiming the national championship, but fell only eight points shy of that goal, finishing an impressive second in the final standings. Carrying this momentum in the 2000 season, Angelle earned her first NHRA World Championship crown by leading her category in wins, final rounds, and being the number-one qualifier. Angelle became only the second woman in history to claim an NHRA world title, joining Shirley Muldowney. Angelle' s winning ways did not stop in 2001, as she once again secured the NHRA crown by collecting a remarkable 22 victories, breaking an NHRA record and becoming the winningest female in drag racing history. By 2002, Angelle had already accomplished more than most thought possible, but that didn't stop her. She once again took home the NHRA crown, making her only the second rider to win three consecutive world titles and tying Shirley Muldowney for most titles won by a female competitor. Midway through the 2003 season, Angelle joined Don Schumacher Racing and partnered with the U.S. Army. By season's end Angelle had finished second in the points standings by winning three races and capturing three number one qualifying positions. In 2004, Angelle ended her season by collecting her 35th career victory and moving into second in the final standings. She recorded four victories during the season, the most wins for the season in the Pro Stock Bike class. In 2005: Won two of three final-round appearances; Was the No. 1 qualifier in Houston; Finished in the POWERade top five for the ninth consecutive season; NHRA’s winningest female with 37 career victories Bio Date of birth: August 7, 1970 Hometown: New Orleans Height/weight: 5’0”, 105 lbs. Career Wins: 40 PSM - 40 Career Final Rounds: 62 PSM - 62 Career Best E.T.:6.939 Career Best Speed: 192.92 Hobbies: Caring for my Animal Kingdom, going to the movies, and Self Defense Training, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai Kickboxing Other Employment: Owns a Suzuki dealership in New Orleans, La. Notable: Graduated from the Charity School of Nursing in New Orleans in 1995 and served as an intensive care nurse from May 1995 until October 1996; Has a pet monkey named Andy Sponsor/Car: U.S. Army Suzuki Crew Chief: Steve Tartaglia Career Wins: 36 Career Final Rounds: 56 Career Best E.T.: 7.018 Career Best Speed: 192.55 2006 Results Points Sum Event Location Date 114 114 Gainesville, FL 3/19/2006 118 232 Houston, TX 4/02/2006 34 266 Atlanta, GA 5/07/2006 112 378 Columbus, OH 5/21/2006 54 432 Joliet, IL 6/11/2006 31 463 Englishtown, NJ 6/18/2006 73 536 Madison, IL 6/25/2006 56 592 Denver, CO 7/16/2006 53 645 Sonoma, CA 7/30/2006 34 679 Brainerd, MN 8/13/2006 36 715 Memphis, TN 8/20/2006 94 809 Clermont, IN 9/04/2006 Reading, PA Las Vegas, NV Pomona, CA Events Attended/Counted: 12/12 Diversity in drag racing Take a look at the National Hot Rod Association standings, and see what's there. Antron Brown is first in the Pro Stock Motorcycles, and teammate Angelle Sampey is third. Melanie Troxel is fourth in Top Fuel standings. J.R. Todd is 10th in Top Fuel but has three victories, including last Sunday at Reading, Pa. Tony Pedregon (fourth) and Cruz Pedregon (10th) compete in Funny Cars, Hillary Will is ninth in Top Fuel, and Karen Stoffer is fifth in Pro Stock Motorcycles after a victory at Reading. That's what those drivers want you to see when some of them come to Virginia Motorsports Park tomorrow. Not their sex or their skin color. "Right now, it's a big deal because I'm an African-American," Todd said. "If I weren't, I don't think they'd be making as big a deal as they are. "I've been on CNN and SportsCenter and USA Today because I'm African-American. Eventually, it's going to slow down, and it will just be, 'Hey, J.R. won another race.' That will come with time when you get more minorities involved." The NHRA will bring its show to Dinwiddie this weekend for the Torco Racing Fuel Nationals. What fans will see is while other racing series may give lip service to diversity, it's a base principle at the top level of drag racing. The participants know it's a story. They're constantly going to cities they see only once a year, and there will be new interviews and more talk about them. But they don't want it to end there. "I think that's an important next step in the progression of women in motorsports," Troxel said. "It's natural for it to be noteworthy, but it makes it kind of a novelty, like 'Oh, look, there's a woman.' But when that's all there is, people get tired of it." Troxel and Sampey participate in the Hostess Race Divas program, appearing on calendars and snack packaging along with the Indy Racing League's Danica Patrick. Troxel said she agreed to the program because she knew it would bring attention to herself, her team and her sponsor. It wasn't as easy for Sampey. "I had to have people tell me that I needed to use that to my advantage. That's why I hate it more than anybody else," Sampey said. "People are having trouble finding sponsorships, and it's not fair for me to say, 'Sponsor me because I'm a girl.'" "In my mind and in my heart, I'm just a racer. When the helmet goes on, you can't see the faces. We want you to give us attention because we're winners." They've definitely earned that right. While Sampey and Brown won't be competing at the Torco event -- it's a weekend off for the Pro Stock Motorcycle class -- they've combined for five wins, including the first four events of the year. Brown, an African-American, and Sampey, a woman, are shining examples of how diversity isn't a dirty word for the NHRA. They've both worked their way to the top ranks of the motorcycle class, and Brown said that gives the NHRA an advantage over NASCAR or most other forms of racing. In comparison, NASCAR's top three series offer only two women (Erin Crocker and Kelly Sutton), one Hispanic (Aric Almirola) and one black man (Bill Lester), none in the top 10 in points. The NHRA also offers a diverse group of fans. "With the NHRA, there's a lot more entry-level racing for minorities," Brown said. "NASCAR, they have [the Automobile Racing Club of America] and all that other stuff, but you still have to be rich. NHRA, you can go to the drag strip and race anything from your mom's station wagon to dirt bikes. You just have to come out there and drag race with it. That's the advantage they have." For Todd, who is just 24, it's a time of new role models and new chances to shine. "There's still a lack of women and minorities out here, but we need to see more of them," Todd said. "By me picking up the win this year, the first African-American to win in a nitro category, that opens up the door for more minorities. It shows it can be done." Source: Jill Irwin, www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149190982731 *    *    * WomenInRacing.org ©1996-2007 by of Gordon Clay