| July 25, 2022
Appearing in his third-straight NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle final round, Reed Motorsports Suzuki’s Joey Gladstone finally earned his long-overdue first NHRA victory at the Sonoma Nationals.
By Kevin McKenna | Photos by Matt Polito
For years, Gladstone has been regarded as one of the most talented riders in all of motorcycle drag racing. He’s won on almost every bike imaginable, including 230-mph “no wheelie bar” bikes, but conquering the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle class has proven to be his Achilles’ heel.
Appearing in his fourth career final, Gladstone finally got to hoist one of the prized NHRA “Wally” trophies after defeating Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Eddie Krawiec in the final round. Gladstone not only won the race, but also got to display his riding prowess with a starting-line holeshot that allowed him to beat Krawiec with a slightly slower elapsed time, 6.759 to 6.758. Gladstone finished with a 200.44 mph top speed to Krawiec’s 199.67.
“I never thought I’d see this day. No, that’s a lie,” said Gladstone. “I saw the light at the end of the tunnel and thought I could do this. I’ve dedicated 20 years of my life to this, and now I’ve accomplished it.”
For all of his success, Gladstone’s path to success has not been easy. Early in his NHRA career, he rode bikes that were largely uncompetitive. He was also sidelined briefly last year after suffering multiple injuries when he came off a 200-mph bike during a test session. Gladstone missed just one race and returned to finish number eight in the standings. His desire to win never waned.
“When I was 12 years-old I went to my first NHRA National event,” Gladstone said. “I raced in my first drag race when I was 16, now I’m 31. This means more to me than you could ever imagine.”
It was fairly easy to peg Gladstone as NHRA’s next first-time winner, especially after the Reed Motorsports team took delivery of a pair of Vance & Hines-prepared four-valve Suzuki’s last year.
With teammate Cory Reed sidelined due to injuries he suffered in an on-track accident late last year, the team has put all its resources into Gladstone’s bike, and the results have been impressive. Gladstone rode to the final of the two most recent rounds in Norwalk (Ohio) and Denver but came up short both times.
In Sonoma, one of the fastest tracks on the tour, Gladstone was third-quickest in qualifying with a 6.757 and was incredibly consistent during Sunday’s final eliminations. with four runs between 6.735 and 6.759 in his wins against Jianna Evaristo, Katie Sullivan, White Alligator Suzuki’s Jerry Savoie and Krawiec. Gladstone’s only hiccup came in round one when his bike encountered an electrical issue.
“The race gods smiled on us in the first round, and I had to shut the bike off and shove some wires around and refire the bike,” Gladstone said. “Some days you feel like you can’t lose and today was one of those days. I want to thank [team owners] Jim and Annie Whiteley and Corey Reed for helping me realize my dreams.”
Krawiec was nearly equal to Gladstone in just about every area, running a string of mid 6.7-second runs of his own to reach the final round for the 90th time in his career. The four-time World Champion defeated Kelly Clontz, teammate Angelle Sampey, and reigning champ Matt Smith before facing Gladstone.
As a result of the Sonoma race, the championship standings are closer than ever. Gladstone is now just two points out of the lead, which is held by Norwalk winner Sampey. Steve Johnson is third but is just 12 points behind, while Matt Smith and Krawiec are 36 and 69 points behind. The top seven riders are separate by less than 100 points, which is equal to just four rounds of competition.
There are seven races remaining in the 2022 season with the next round scheduled to take place in Topeka, Kansas, August 12-14.
FINAL
- Joey Gladstone (Suz)
- Eddie Krawiec (Suz)