| August 15, 2022
It took Reed Motorsports Suzuki’s Joey Gladston more than eight years to earn his first NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle victory but just three weeks to earn a second title. Following his landmark victory in Sonoma, Gladstone won again at the Menards NHRA Nationals in Topeka when he topped Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Eddie Krawiec in the final round. The event marked the first time the Pro Stock Motorcycle class had visited Heartland Motorsports Park since 1997, and Gladstone got off the starting line first and extended his lead to win, 6.87 to 6.93.
By Kevin McKenna | Photos: Matt Polito
“It’s pretty awesome right now, I hope it never ends,” Gladstone said. “I’m a realist, though. I’ll take as much success as I can get. Obviously, I’m going to keep working at maintaining it but I’m just enjoying it while it last.
“Times like this don’t come around all that often and I’m just very thankful for the opportunity that I have and the people that support me including [team owners] Jim and Annie Whiteley, Cory Reed, and this awesome team that I have. I’m so thankful for them.”
In terms of performance, Gladstone’s win in Topeka was even more dominant than his initial Sonoma victory. In qualifying, Gladstone had the quickest bike in all three qualifying sessions including a 6.831 that was good for the top spot. Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Angelle Sampey was second quickest, but her 6.882 best was five-hundredths slower than Gladstone, and that’s an eternity in NHRA drag racing.
Gladstone’s biggest challenge on race day wasn’t necessarily his competitors, but rather the scorching temperatures that baked Heartland Motorsports Park. With an air temperature of nearly 100 degrees and a track temp that peaked at 140, getting the power to the ground was a challenge for every team.
Gladstone’s performance never wavered with four runs between 6.83 and 6.87 to easily dominate the competition that included David Barron and Denso Buell’s Angie Smith.
“I was very surprised because looking at the weather, I thought we’d lose four or five [hundredths] from qualifying,” Gladstone said. “Even though we had a 140-degree track temperature, the NHRA staff did a great job on the starting line. In fact, some of the Pro Stock Motorcycles were bogging, which we wouldn’t normally see. This track took just about everything we could throw at it.”
For Gladstone, the appealing side effect of appearing in his fourth-straight final and winning back-to-back races is that he’s now the championship points leader for the first time in his career and will likely enter the Countdown to the Championship playoffs as the top seed in the class.
Gladstone’s second victory denied Krawiec a chance to get his long-awaited 50th NHRA victory. The four-time world champion last won a race at the 2021 U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, nearly a year ago.
For his part, Krawiec went to the final for the second time this season and 91st time in his career following wins against Ryan Oehler, Matt Smith and White Alligator Suzuki’s Jerry Savoie.
“We’re making progress, but we’re not exactly where we need to be right now,” Krawiec said. “I feel good about going to the last two final rounds but we need to start putting together some wins. The next race is Indy, which is the biggest race of the year and it’s also my home race. That would be the perfect place to get things going.”
With six events remaining in the season, Gladstone leads the standings while Sampey, Krawiec, Steve Johnson and Matt Smith occupy the top five spots.
The next event for the Pro Stock Motorcycle class will be the Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park on September 1-5.
FINAL
Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 6.876, 195.59 def. Eddie Krawiec, Suzuki, 6.935, 195.36.
1. Joey Gladstone; 2. Eddie Krawiec; 3. Jerry Savoie; 4. Angie Smith; 5. Matt Smith; 6. LE Tonglet; 7. Angelle Sampey; 8. Karen Stoffer; 9. Marc Ingwersen; 10. Steve Johnson; 11. Ryan Oehler; 12. David Barron; 13. Chris Bostick; 14. Jianna Evaristo.
For more information, visit NHRA.com