Jerry Savoie is a veteran Pro Stock Motorcycle racer who can’t be overlooked in the six-race Countdown to the Championship.

The Cutoff, La., resident proved that Sunday with an emotional win.

Savoie won the Midwest Nationals when his final-round opponent Angelle Sampey recorded a redlight in the finals at Gateway Motorsports Park.

“This is great,” said Savoie, who pilots his Savoie’s Alligator Farm Suzuki. “Our hometown girl (Sampey) from down in the Bayou and all the Cajun people watching and cheering for both of us. I know they are torn between the two of us, but this is very big. I want to share one thing, my mother is home with breast cancer, I love you mom.”

This was Savoie’s fifth career NHRA national event win and his first since he beat Jim Underdahl in the finals at Englishtown, N.J., in June of 2015. He also was 0-3 in final rounds this season losing to Eddie Krawiec at Atlanta, Andrew Hines at Atlanta and Sampey in Englishtown, N.J.

“Out here, the competition is so strong and it takes a little bit of luck and (Sunday) we had a little bit of luck in the finals, and that’s a good thing,” said Savoie, who finished a career-best third in the points a year ago. “These things are hurdles (the final-round losses). I went to church this morning and I listened to the deacon and he was talking about pain and it kind of relates to what I was telling my son who is racing junior dragsters. Pain is a symbol from God. If you feel no pain, you don’t know whether you’re going forward or going backwards. Losing hurts so bad, but winning feels so good and I try and instill that in him. The harder you work, the more you’re repaid. My team is a great team and today was our day.”

The win for Savoie also was special since he had an 0-4 career record against Sampey, a three-time world champ (2000-2002), in final rounds.

“We have been struggling against that gal, she’s a h*ll of a racer and I have a lot of respect for her,” Savoie said. “(Sunday) was my day. We were a little bit late on the light on this one and what a lot of people don’t know is we blew up, so we had some luck today. This track was really good to me, the fans were great and I got my first win (of his career) two years ago here (in St. Louis) and here we are today.”

Savoie also moved up from sixth to fourth in the point standings – 42 behind leader Andrew Hines.

On Sunday, Savoie won consecutive rounds over Steve Johnson, Matt Smith, Cory Reed and Sampey.

“As a rider, you have to be completely focused because you’re not playing with a bunch of chumps up here,” Savoie said. “These guys are drag racers and people think it’s easy and I would be the first to tell you it’s not easy.”