Angelle and Star Racing battle to reach their 4th Mile-High Nationals final
Angelle and the Star Racing team battle to reach their fourth Mile-High Nationals final Event: 23rd Annual Mopar Parts Mile-High NHRA Nationals Location: Bandimere Speedway, Morrison, CO Date: July 21, 2002 On the outside, it would seem that Angelle Savoie and the Star Racing team had an easy time at this weekend's Mopar Parts Mile-High Nationals. After all, they captured their fifth No. 1 qualifying position of the season, setting the Bandimere Speedway elapsed time track record in the process. Sunday's final eliminations provided more of the same, with the CVEC Suzuki recording one of the quickest elapsed times of the day en route to their fifth final round of the season. Therefore, it would follow that this highly competitive team would be fairly upset at not completing the picture with their third consecutive win on the mountain. However, even though they were naturally disappointed when a red-light start gave the automatic win to rival Matt Hines, Angelle and the Star Racing crew realized they had made the most of a less than perfect weekend. "Although we naturally wanted to win, I'm not overly upset with today's results. I went into the final knowing my lights had been a little off all day, so the red light was simply a matter of my trying too hard. "I'm really proud of how this Star Racing team fought all weekend. We struggled on Friday, and then came back to steal the No. 1 qualifying position from Matt (Hines) on Saturday. "We then put a new engine in our Suzuki for today, and despite having issues with every run, we made it to the final, as George (team owner Bryce) did another awesome job of tuning here on the mountain, right in our rivals' back yard." The Star Racing team now heads west to Sonoma, California to make their inaugural appearance at Infineon Raceway in two weeks. Although for the first time in three years they will leave Bandimere without the trophy, Angelle and company will continue to focus on their primary goal, realizing that their effort this weekend was still a productive and important one. "I know we gained points on everyone but Matt this weekend, and am proud to make it to the final on a less than perfect day. The Star Racing team's goal is to win every race we enter, but we know the effort we made this weekend is how you win championships and that is what we are focused on doing." Fast Facts: - This marked the 40th final round of Angelle's career (and fifth of the 2002 season) and fourth at Bandimere Speedway. - By defeating Jay Matthews in the first round, Angelle set the NHRA record for consecutive first round wins at 41, breaking the tie between herself and the legendary Bob Glidden. Angelle has not lost in the first round since falling to C.J. Smith in Brainerd, Minn. in August of 1999. - Angelle's 7.560-second elapsed time in qualifying was the quickest in Pro Stock Motorcycle for the weekend, marking the 24th time she has set the low elapsed time of the event. It was also a new Bandimere Speedway track record. - Angelle has led the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle standings following 39 of the last 50 national events, dating back to the beginning of the 1999 season. She has been ranked first or second an amazing 56 of the last 60 events, dating back to the fourth event of 1998. - Angelle's .775 (203-59) elimination round win percentage ranks second among all active drivers, trailing only Matt Hines' .786. 2002 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle Points Standings (after 8 of 14 events): 1. Angelle Savoie - 801 2. Craig Treble - 680 (-121) 3. Antron Brown - 620 (-181) 4. Matt Hines - 593 (-208) 5. Shawn Gann - 546 (-256) 6. Geno Scali - 380 (-421) 7. Reggie Showers - 380 (-421) 8. Mike Berry - 363 (-438) 9. John Smith - 340 (-461) 10. Steve Johnson - 293 (-508) 2002 K&N Filters Pro Bike Klash Points Standings 1. Angelle Savoie - 2020 2. Matt Hines - 1910 (-110) 3. Shawn Gann - 1825 (-195) 4. Antron Brown - 1760 (-260) 5. Craig Treble - 1715 (-305) 6. Reggie Showers- 1495 (-525) 7. Mike Berry - 1490 (-530) 8. Geno Scali - 1370 (-650) 9. Steve Johnson - 1185 (-835) 10. Joe DeSantis- 935 (-1085)