BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Jan. 24, 2024) – Angelle Sampey will make her 2024 debut in her backyard in the bayou thanks to the support of Range, an authorized Case IH and Kubota dealership located in Donaldsonville, Louisiana. Sampey will power the Range Racing dragster, owned and operated by Michalek Brothers Racing (MBR), Feb. 23-25, at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, Louisiana to open the NHRA Lucas Oil Series Division 4 season.
Sampey, a three-time NHRA world champion on two wheels, put the kickstand on her bike after the 2022 NHRA season and added two more wheels and heaps more horsepower when she earned her Top Alcohol Dragster license last summer in an A/Fuel dragster. She made her national event debut at the NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex near Dallas and raced to a semifinal finish in the MBR-prepared machine. Two weeks later she raced to the No. 1 qualifying spot at the fall Las Vegas race before scoring a runner-up finish at the NHRA Division 7 race at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway a week later.
“I’ve long wanted to race in my backyard at No Problem Raceway, but the NHRA hasn’t had a national event in Louisiana for many years since the Cajun Nationals left Baton Rouge,” said Sampey, who was born and raised in Louisiana and currently resides in Mathews, about an hour away from the track in Belle Rose. “We knew we had to find the funding and we’ve gotten so much local support and I’m just so excited to stage this Range Racing dragster in Louisiana in front of my family and friends. I really do need to thank Billy Lawson and his team at Range for making this possible. It’s going to be a great weekend and a dream come true to race at my home track in front of my parents and girls.”
Last week it was announced that Antron Brown’s AB Motorsports team and Sampey, the first AB Motorsports Accelerate Program driver, would partner with MBR for the 2024 NHRA season to run for the Lucas Oil Series championship with the support of Hangsterfer’s Metal Working Lubricants, Factory Motor Parts and the FVP brand, Mission Foods, Innovative Global Technology Group (IGTG), and now Range and Pro-TEK RV Service at the Belle Rose race.
“I bought this dealership eight years ago when Angelle was coming out of retirement and going back into racing the Pro Stock Bike, and I had this dream that if one day I could grow this dealership, I might be able to sponsor Angelle,” said Billy Lawson, the owner of Range, located at 317 Mississippi Street in Donaldsonville. “It never worked out and the bikes don’t come to Louisiana. When Angelle went to working with Antron and the dragster, her husband Seth Drago told me about the potential for her to race at No Problem Raceway and I knew I wanted in. It grew legs from there and here we are with the Range Racing dragster.
“When it was announced last week that Angelle was racing the dragster full time in 2024 and racing in Louisiana, the engagement locally was amazing. I really couldn’t believe the instant response from our customers. So many of our customers are so excited to see Angelle race in Louisiana, at home. Angelle resonates with our customer base. They’re DIYers. They’re nuts and bolts people. They love horsepower, speed, and carbon fiber. We couldn’t be more excited to support her at this event.”
The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series consists of a series of races amongst NHRA’s seven divisions. Competitors earn points at both national and divisional races to vie for the Lucas Oil Series championship. The event at No Problem Raceway Park is the first of seven NHRA Division 4 races on the 2024 calendar. Sampey’s first NHRA national event will be the historic NHRA Gatornationals, March 7-10, in Gainesville, Fla. For more information, please visit www.fullrange.com or @Range.1836 on Instagram.