Pro Stock Motorcycle

John Force finished off a dominating weekend with his first victory of the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, racing to his 155th career Funny Car win on Sunday at the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway.

Mike Salinas (Top Fuel) and Steve Johnson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all picked up wins at the sixth of 22 races during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

The Charlotte four-wide event continues to treat Steve Johnson very well, as the Pro Stock Motorcycle veteran rode his way to a second straight win and a second consecutive victory at the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. Johnson went 6.740 at 200.65 on his USA Electric Suzuki in the finals, easily distancing himself from Karen Stoffer, Eddie Krawiec and Joey Gladstone. It gives Johnson his 11th career victory and plenty of momentum after also winning last weekend in Houston. At zMAX Dragway, Johnson had the quickest bike of every session during eliminations, including an impressive run of 6.712 at 201.40 in the second round that set the track record. He also moved into the points lead with his second victory this season.

“These bikes, they’re so hard to ride perfectly,” Johnson said. “We made some good runs today, but it’s never going to be an easy day in this class. For us to win, it’s special and this track is always a special place. Anytime you can win and win a race at a Bruton Smith track, you’re killing it and doing a great job.”

Stoffer, who won the opener, in Gainesville finished as the runner-up with her run of 6.824 at 198.88 in the championship round quad. She now trails Johnson by six points.

The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series returns to action May 13-15 with the Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park.

ROUND ONE

SEMIFINALS

FINAL

SATURDAY QUALIFYING

Angelle Sampey turned in a banner performance on Saturday, making two quality runs on her Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki, including a top run of 6.714 at 201.16 to give the three-time world champion her first No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 54th in her career. Sampey added another strong run of 6.721 at 201.82 to close out the day, giving her the two quickest runs of the weekend thus far and plenty of momentum heading into eliminations on Sunday. Sampey, who will meet Kelly Clontz, Joey Gladstone and defending world champ Matt Smith in the first round of eliminations, is seeking her first win of the season.

“We were a little late on this No. 1 qualifier,” Sampey said. “We should have had it in Gainesville, we should have had it in Houston, and we definitely got it here, thank goodness. I knew my Suzuki had it in it, but I’ve been most of the problem. It’s just an awesome motorcycle and (crew chief) Andrew (Hines) is doing a great job tuning. This team gives me everything I need and it’s up to me to get the job done, and I’m going to work on that tomorrow. The confidence is definitely coming and we’re learning the bike together, and it’s all coming together.”

Friday’s provisional No. 1 Steve Johnson, who won last weekend in Houston, improved on his time, taking the second spot after going 6.732 at 200.05. Points leader Karen Stoffer is third thanks to a 6.763 at 199.79.

In the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by D-Wagon, Justin Bond drove to the No. 1 position with his pass of 5.744 at 248.20. It is the sixth career No. 1 qualifier for Bond, who will look for his first win of the season at a race that is powered by Precision Racing Suspension. Gainesville winner Kris Thorne qualified second with a 5.751 at 253.42 and Rickie Smith is third after going 5.760 at 252.76.

Eliminations for the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals begin at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday at zMAX Dragway.

01 Angelle Sampey 6.714 201.16
02 Steve Johnson 6.732 200.05
03 Karen Stoffer 6.763 199.79
04 Eddie Krawiec 6.779 198.73
05 Jerry Savoie 6.781 199.76
06 James Underdahl 6.793 199.55
07 Angie Smith 6.801 198.64
08 Joey Gladstone 6.804 198.47
09 Matt Smith 6.834 200.11
10 Hector Arana Jr 6.840 195.68
11 Chris Bostick 6.885 193.16
12 Michael Ray 6.892 195.65
13 Marc Ingwersen 6.924 196.96
14 Ryan Oehler 6.934 194.16
15 Ron Tornow 6.966 188.52
16 Kelly Clontz 6.983 191.81
17 David Barron 99.999 166.01

FRIDAY QUALIFYING

After winning last weekend in Houston, Johnson took the top provisional spot in Pro Stock Motorcycle right off the trailer, going 6.767 at 198.70 on his USA Electric Suzuki. Johnson ran into trouble during the second round of qualifying when his bike xxx on the starting line but having success in Charlotte isn’t anything new for the veteran these days. He picked his first win in the class in seven years when Johnson won in Charlotte last year and he appears on a solid track thus far this weekend at zMAX Dragway, moving in contention to qualify first for the eighth time in his career.

“The bike was good and if I would have driven it better it would have been even quicker,” Johnson said. “These bikes are very challenging to ride and to try to go 6.60s or (low 6.70s), the rider really has to do an incredible job. There’s a lot of stuff going on in six-and-a-half seconds. It comes at you so fast and it’s a lot of work to ride them perfectly.”

Angelle Sampey matched Johnson on time but sits second after going 6.767 at 196.19 and Eddie Krawiec is currently third with a 6.779 at 198.73.

Qualifying continues at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday at the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway.

Qualifying Order

1. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.767, 198.70
2. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 6.767, 196.19
3. Eddie Krawiec, Suzuki, 6.779, 198.73
4. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 6.793, 199.55
5. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.801, 198.29
6. Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 6.804, 198.47
7. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.813, 199.14
8. Angie Smith, EBR, 6.825, 200.44
9. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 6.837, 199.88
10. Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.840, 196.22
11. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.885, 193.16
12. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.924, 196.96
13. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.934, 194.16
14. Michael Ray, Victory, 6.961, 194.16
15. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 7.010, 189.82
16. Ron Tornow, Victory, 7.135, 184.35
17. David Barron, broke

ABOUT CAMPING WORLD
Camping World, headquartered in Lincolnshire, Illinois, is America’s leading retailer of RVs and related products and services, offering an extensive assortment of recreational vehicles for sale, RV and camping gear, RV maintenance and repair, other outdoor and active sports products, and the industry’s broadest and deepest range of services, protection plans, products and resources. Since the Company’s founding in 1966, Camping World has grown to become one of the most well-known destinations for everything RV, with more than 170 locations in 38 states and a comprehensive e-commerce platform. For more information, visit www.CampingWorld.com. Camping World’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “CWH”.

ABOUT NHRA
Headquartered in Glendora, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 22 national events featuring the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service, SAM Tech.edu Factory Stock Showdown and Mickey Thompson Tires Top Fuel Harley Series. Twice a year, NHRA hosts a ‘race-within-a-race,’ during the JEGS Allstars and Mickey Thompson Tires Pro Bike Battle specialty competitions. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and the NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League for youth ages 5 to 17. With over 120 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing-related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates four racing facilities: Atlanta Dragway in Georgia; Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis; and Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California. For more information, log on to NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

About Camping World Holdings, Inc.
Camping World Holdings, Inc., headquartered in Lincolnshire, IL, (together with its subsidiaries) is America’s largest retailer of RVs and related products and services. Our vision is to build a long-term legacy business that makes RVing fun and easy, and our Camping World and Good Sam brands have been serving RV consumers since 1966. We strive to build long-term value for our customers, employees, and shareholders by combining a unique and comprehensive assortment of RV products and services with a national network of RV dealerships, service centers and customer support centers along with the industry’s most extensive online presence and a highly trained and knowledgeable team of associates serving our customers, the RV lifestyle, and the communities in which we operate. We also believe that our Good Sam organization and family of programs and services uniquely enables us to connect with our customers as stewards of the RV enthusiast community and the RV lifestyle. With over 185 locations in 40 states, Camping World, and sister company Gander RV, have grown to become prime destinations for everything RV. For more information, visit www.CampingWorld.com.