NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Angie Smith was transported Saturday afternoon to a local medical facility near World Wide Technology Raceway in the St. Louis suburb of Madison, Ill., after she was separated from her motorcycle after a 198.93-mph pass during qualifying for the AAA Midwest Nationals.
The veteran competitor from King, N.C., reportedly was conscious, alert, and communicating with safety personnel but was taken away on a stretcher. No further word on her condition has been released.
The high-speed accident, not visible to the crowd on hand at Madison, Ill., or even to announcers in the control tower, occurred in the shutdown area. Smith had just completed her second of three qualifying runs, clocking a 6.880-second pass at 198.93 mph.
Smith, 44, came into this week's event fifth in the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings.
Jianna Evaristo and Joey Gladstone joined Angie Smith’s husband, Matt Smith, in skipping their qualifying attempts.
The NHRA put out a statement late Saturday afternoon:
During the second round of Pro StockMotorcycle qualifying at the NHRA Midwest Nationals on Saturday at World WideTechnology Raceway, Angie Smith was separated from the bike after crossing the finish line before coming to a rest.
Smith was alert and conscious, and was examined onsite by the NHRA medical team before being transported to a local medical facility for further evaluation.
Susan Wade has lived in the Seattle area for 40 years, but motorsports is in the Indianapolis native’s DNA. She has emerged as one of the leading drag-racing writers with nearly 30 seasons at the racetrack, focusing on the human-interest angle. She was the first non-NASCAR recipient of the prestigious Russ Catlin Award and has covered the sport for the Chicago Tribune, Newark Star-Ledger, and Seattle Times. She has contributed to Autoweek as a freelance writer since 2016.