A
NGELLE SA MPEY NEVER IMAGINED HERSELF
being on a team with her decades-long rivals, Vance & Hines.
But that’s what’s happening in 2019, at least for four races.
Sampey joined new teammates Eddie Krawiec and Andrew
Hines in Gainesville to kick off the NHRA season for Pro
Stock Motorcycle, and will again ride for the Vance & Hines team at
four-wide events in Las Vegas and Charlotte, and finally at the Southern
Nationals in Atlanta.
But the three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion and win-
ningest female in all of motorsports is hoping she can prove herself to
Harley-Davidson and the Vance & Hines team and earn a ride for the
whole 2019 season.
Speaking from her Louisiana home on a rainy February night, Sampey
spoke with D rag I llustrateD about her excitement to be competing in 2019
and how she’s used the offseason to prepare.
end up saying no, what is there? I can’t go backwards. Being on this team
and then going somewhere else to me is backwards. I’m a little scared right
now and I want to do everything I can to stay on the team for a full season.
How have you prepared to impress Harley-Davidson this winter?
I’ve been training as much as possible. I go to the gym twice a day, some-
times three times. I have to get my body in the best shape it can be. This
bike has the most horsepower that I’ve ever ridden. Vance & Hines is the
epitome of Pro Stock Motorcycle racing. They’re giving me the best there
is, so I have to prove that I’m bring as much to the table.
What do your fans think about your switch to the Vance & Hines team?
I have a lot of fans tell me, “did it have to be that team?” They’ve always been
the rival, but even those who didn’t want me to go there are now following
me. I know the fans will show us support. I think it’s going to be huge. I
hope Harley-Davidson sees the fanbase and appreciates it.
What’s it like to be racing on a team with some of your oldest rivals?
It’s still kind of strange to me. It doesn’t feel like it’s real, it’s like I’m
dreaming. These guys have been long-time rivals of mine, more than 20
You’ve retired once. What brought you back?
I didn’t want to quit when I did [in 2009], but at the time I didn’t have
years now. These are the people I’ve wanted to beat more than anything
in the world. And that hasn’t changed. We will still have that rivalry, but
now we’re teammates.
any other options because of funding. It was time to face it and announce
it. Soon after I quit, my now-husband [Seth Drago] proposed to me. Him
doing that after I retired meant a lot to me and proved that he really loved
me, not just Angelle the racer. I told him I wanted to have a baby as soon
as possible, and I got pregnant a week after our honeymoon.
When the first race happened that I wasn’t in competition, I broke down.
I cried, couldn’t hardly breath, and felt like I had nothing to live for. My
little girl, Ava, is almost eight years old, and she’s taught me that racing
isn’t everything, and I have a lot more to live for.
When I got the call to come back to drag racing, it was an internal
dilemma. Should I stay home and be a mom or risk depriving my child of
not having a mom at home all the time? But I realized I had the opportu-
nity to show my daughter what was possible when you set your mind on
something. She wouldn’t have to watch TV or read magazines to see what
I had done, she could come and see me on the track.
How did the Vance & Hines deal come to fruition?
I was short on funding to be able to continue with the team I was with last
year [Liberty Racing]. I figured I would be done with racing. I was actually
considering a different career path forward, like motivational speaking.
That’s when Andrew Hines called me and asked if we could meet. Andrew,
Eddie and I met for breakfast at the PRI Show [Indianapolis, Dec. 2018]
and talked about the possibility of this happening. When they asked if I
would be interested in riding one of their bikes, it was basically like saying
“are you interested in winning the lottery?” Whoever would say no to that
is either lying or insane!
They then approached Harley-Davidson, but Harley said no, they didn’t
want to do it. I was devastated and I broke down. Two weeks later, Terry
Vance called and asked “How bad do you want to ride this bike?” I (jokingly)
offered to give up my child to him. But that was the only thing I could think
of to describe to him how bad I wanted to ride this bike. He told me that we’ll
see how I do and see what Harley-Davidson thinks at the end of four races.
Will we ever see Ava on a Pro Stock Motorcycle?
Ava loves the racetrack. It’s her favorite place. She’s a professional traveler
now. She hasn’t expressed a lot of interest in getting on a motorcycle or
in a car yet, but she loves the atmosphere. She really loves signing auto-
graphs for the fans. She’s also pretty good at critiquing me – she’s even
harder on me than I am on myself sometimes! Our goal this year is to get
in the winner’s circle as much as possible, and have Ava there with us to
celebrate. - ALLYSON JOHNSON
DI DI DI
What happens after those four races?
Right now I’m living with anxiety. I want this so bad. I’m getting it – but
it’s only temporary for now, until they make a decision after Atlanta. If they
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