NHRA drivers Ron Capps and Angelle Sampey have achieved significant recognition together, marking a milestone in their racing careers. Sampey, a three-time champion, is transitioning from motorcycles to Top Fuel dragsters.
NHRA’s Capps, Sampey Reach Top Recognition TogetherHearst 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.”
Steve Johnson.Icon Sportswire - Getty Images
Today, she said she’s amused by his outrageous antics: “What he’s doing for the class now, with the silliness and the rivalry, I think it’s great,” she said. “I think we need it. He does touch some nerves with some other people. There is genuine rivalry there, and I think that’s good. As long as there is respect shown and it doesn’t get out of hand, I think what he’s doing is fine and it’s good.
“We actually have a friendship now. We have been in this sport together for 25 years. He’s been in it a lot longer than I have. So we really learned a lot about each other. We even talked about how we wish we had worked together earlier in my career. He’s such a wonderful marketing person. I think could have helped me grow my brand. We had too much hate to work with each other, and we missed that ship.”
Angelle Sampey has earned 46 victories and three consecutive NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle championships from 2000 to 2002.
Ron Capps is a prominent NHRA driver known for his competitive performances in drag racing.
Angelle Sampey aims to transition from motorcycle racing to driving a 12,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster.
Angelle Sampey received her first major recognition in 2000 when she was awarded a $30,000 check for her championship win.
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The unnecessary hurdles still are haunting, at least a little bit. But she said they have made her stronger.
Just three years before Sampey’s Awards Ceremony insult, at the Northwest Nationals at Seattle, flinty Funny Car ace Al Hofmann was mercilessly criticizing rival John Force, who had earned nine of the previous 10 championships at that time. And Ron Capps, a relative newcomer to the class, took a neutral stance, saying, “The sport needs a villain—but it isn’t going to be me.”
Capps has been true to his white-hat image, unwavering from his personal brand for more than 30 years and 79 victories in nearly 700 races. And that professional conduct caught they eye first of Top Fuel team owner Roger Primm, then of iconic Don “The Snake” Prudhomme and multi-car team tycoon Don Schumacher. They shaped his journey to three championships (2016, 2021, 2022) and ownership of his own two-car team that has extended a hand-up to wildly popular Top Fuel driver Maddi Gordon.
The points leader as NHRA’s Mission Foods Drag Racing Series moves this weekend to new venue Valdosta, Georgia, for the Southern Nationals, didn’t have the trials Sampey experienced. Oh, he has had his share of engine blow-ups and racing disappointments, and now the headaches that come naturally with team ownership. But his progression to legendary status as one of the NHRA’s Top75 Drivers was far smoother, with the sport’s superstars mentoring him.
Icon Sportswire - Getty Images
Was it a “guy-girl thing,” a snapshot of the era? Who knows? And what does it matter now, really? Both have demonstrated grit, work ethic, talent, vision, and, ultimately, success that has earned them selection into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. To be recognized with some of American auto racing’s most recognizable names is not only a coup for Capps and Sampey personally, but for drag racing.
Their 2027 Induction class includes IndyCar trio Lyn St. James (At Large), Gary Bettenhausen (Open Wheel) and Harry Hartz (Historic); NASCAR’S Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Robert Yates (Stock Cars); General Motors’ Herb Fishel (Business); IMSA Hall of Famer and elite driver/team owner Rob Dyson (Sports Cars); and air-racing record-holder Steve Hinton (Aviation). They’ll be inducted next March at a ceremony at the museum at Daytona International Speedway.
Capps represents the Drag Racing community, Sampey the Motorcycles category.
Their selections mark the first time in Motorsports Hall of Fame of America history that two from NHRA drag racing have been chosen for induction in the same year (excluding the team selection of Ronnie Sox and Buddy Martin in 2007).
Other drag racers who have become members are Joe Amato, Dale Armstrong, Raymond Beadle, Kenny Bernstein, Keith Black, John Buttera, Art Chrisman, Jack Chrisman, Austin Coil, Larry Dixon Jr., Ed Donovan, John Force, Don Garlits, Steve Gibbs, Bob Glidden, Darrell Gwynn, C.J. Hart, Eddie Hill, Tommy Ivo, Bill Jenkins, Warren Johnson, Connie Kalitta, Chris Karamesines, Dick LaHaie, Dave McClelland, Ed McCulloch, Tom McEwen, “Ohio” George Montgomery, Shirley Muldowney, Paula Murphy, Don Nicholson, Danny Ongais, Wally Parks, Ed Pink, Don Prudhomme, Don Schumacher, Tony Schumacher, and Sox & Martin.