Angelle Sampey continued to build momentum in her Top Alcohol Dragster career at the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS, overcoming a challenging start to qualifying before narrowly missing a first-round victory at Maryland International Dragway.
Driving the Hangsterfer’s/FVP A/Fuel Dragster for Michalek Brothers Racing, Sampey and her team faced a challenging start to qualifying. In the opening session, Sampey encountered tire smoke immediately off the starting line and was forced to shut the car off early, resulting in a 9.140-second pass at 35.22 mph.
The team rebounded during the second qualifying session despite dropping a cylinder right at the hit. Sampey stayed with the run and posted a 5.543-second pass at 265.01 mph, moving into the No. 5 position.
Sampey continued to improve during the final qualifying session, clocking a 5.353-second run at 273.05 mph. The effort locked the Hangsterfer’s/FVP A/Fuel Dragster into the No. 8 qualifying position and set up a first-round matchup with Gary Pritchett.
In eliminations, Sampey was first off the starting line, gaining the advantage with a .050 reaction time to Pritchett’s .075. However, Pritchett’s dragster made up the difference by the 330-foot mark and never relinquished the lead.
Pritchett crossed the finish line with a 5.270-second pass at 271.95 mph while Sampey was right behind with a 5.293 at 271.90 mph.
“This track was unbelievable. It was just a fantastic weekend,” Sampey said. “I really enjoyed myself and the fans. But as far as my racing goes this weekend, we didnt do what we wanted. We struggled a bit with qualifying and we were down on the ladder. Then first round, we came up short. I had my worst light of the weekend in the first round.
“We’re growing a lot. The main thing is that we can go to a race and qualify number one, number two, or number three. We can run with the best of them. We just have to work on our packaging to be more consistent. I was disappointed for my Michalek Brothers Racing team because I know how bad they want to win just as much as I do, and they work so hard.
“We’re close to Hangsterfer’s home, so I was hoping we could do well for them. But we are learning. Just like the saying goes, sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn. We just continue to learn, and I know my Hangsterfer’s A/Fuel Dragster is just on the cusp of a win.”
Sampey will return to competition June 25-28 at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRANationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.
This story was originally published on June 2, 2026. 
