UPDATED: 10-6-23 9:34 pm -  Matt Smith has confirmed the bike has been released by NHRA. It was picked up by Jerry Haas and will be delivered to his team in Dallas.

Veteran Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Angie Smith crashed during the NHRA Midwest Nationals on Saturday, September 30, 2023. She was transported to a local hospital, where doctors determined she had broken both feet and suffered severe road rash. 

NHRA officials impounded Angie Smith’s bike at the scene for inspection. Tuesday afternoon marked three full days the bike has been in NHRA’s possession, and team owner Matt Smith wants answers.

Answers, Smith declares, the NHRA isn't providing. 

“I want someone there to tell me what is going on,” Smith said. “I've asked NHRA to release the bike. I've done everything that they've asked us to do.”

Smith alleges NHRA told him he'd get the bike back once he provided them with hospital paperwork after Angie had been moved from the trauma unit to a regular hospital room. He said he provided the necessary paperwork upon returning to the track.

“Then Sunday morning, they came over and said, 'We need the data out of the bike,’”  Smith explained, adding that he and Steve Nichols with MaxxECU went down to the impound location and provided the needed data. 

Then Smith said he was told the bike would be returned on a rollback once the data investigation was done, adding that he provided her helmet and leathers to them under the understanding it would be returned that evening to ship to Vanson Leathers for their investigation.

Sunday night came and went, Smith confirmed, that neither were returned. 

By Monday, Smith said his combination of frustration and anger had reached the highest level. 

 

 

“And now, [the bike is] not even on the property of the racetrack,” Smith said. “I don't know where it's at. They won't tell me where it's at, and they basically told me that I could pick it back up when I go home from Pomona.”

That city, of course, is the home to In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, venue for the NHRA’s Nov. 9-12 season finale.

Monday afternoon, Matt Smith pulled out driving his rig back home to King, North Carolina, while Angie was released from the hospital and flown home via private jet by Tony Stewart. 

Unlike Smith, NHRA isn’t talking. Multiple requests have been made to the NHRA to discuss the issue, and at the time of this posting, said through a spokesperson, “It is NHRA’s policy not to comment on an ongoing investigation.”

Smith said with regret the situation might escalate to the next level unless there's an acceptable resolution or an answer why the bike is “quarantined.” As he see it, his team is still in a race for the Countdown to the Championship, and there are parts on that bike that are in short supply within the industry, but of greater importance is the need to understand what happened since there are three riders headed into Dallas for MSR that need to be made aware if there's a safety issue.

Until then, Smith said he has no choice but to believe it’s a personal attack unless proven otherwise. 

“They keep telling me the word ‘legal,’” Smith said. “Their legal team will not release it. And not real sure what that means, but in my opinion that means that they have a lawyer on it. So, to protect Matt Smith and to protect Angie Smith and our company, I guess what they're telling me is we need to get a lawyer to pursue the situation to get our motorcycle back.”

Smith is baffled by what he perceives as inconsistent treatment compared to other competitors who have had vehicles confiscated by NHRA. For instance, current MSR teammate Jianna Evaristo crashed her bike at the 2019 Route 66 Nationals before hooking up with the Smiths. There was little delay in her team regaining possession of the bike.

“Granted, that's the same state that we were in St. Louis, they were both in Illinois, and they got that bike back within three hours,” Smith added. “And then, in North Carolina  where Corey Reed wrecked really bad, they got that bike back the next day.”

 

 

 

 

Smith believes that at a time when he should be focused on the well-being of his wife, and taking necessary precautions to protect his riders and himself, he now has to fight what he describes as a game with NHRA.

“I'm not real sure what NHRA is trying to accomplish by holding my bike,” Smith said. 

The bike in question is the same one ridden by Chip Ellis at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals to a runner-up finish. Following the event, Angie Smith was shifted to the bike for the NHRA Carolina Nationals.  

Smith confirmed the bike was also certified by NHRA’s tech department and had all the required certification tags in place. He said that after every run the crew inspects every bike to ensure they are up to proper safety standards.

Smith is fighting an uphill battle in the sense that the NHRA rulebook gives the sanctioning body wide powers, including the right to keep equipment indefinitely. When a participant signs the licensing agreement, they essentially agree to abide by the series rulebook. Included in the rulebook is the following passage:

ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES & APPEALS, Section 1 of Page 18, Section 1.6.4 - Participant hereby grants NHRA, its member tracks, and each of their agents and assigns, full and unconditional permission to collect and retain vehicles, parts of vehicles, equipment, data (including performance related), or any other items used in conjunction with participation that are owned by or in the possession of participant or present at an event (collectively “Items”), including such Items that may be relevant incident to the investigation of an incident; the inspection or testing of such Items; or for any other purpose. NHRA may exercise this right to take and retain Items at any time when NHRA determines in its sole and absolute discretion that such actions are necessary. Participant fully releases NHRA from any liability whatsoever for loss of, damage to, or
destruction of any such items. When an Item is suspected of being out of compliance with an NHRA rule, or when an Item has been involved in an incident, NHRA may in its sole and absolute discretion collect and retain such Items if NHRA believes it necessary to do so to further investigate, make a final determination, and/or preserve evidence, all in NHRA’s sole and absolute discretion. At any time that NHRA collects and retains Items, NHRA will try to safeguard such Items and return such Items when NHRA has completed its work with them, but NHRA makes no representations or warranties that the Items will not be lost, damaged, destructively tested, destroyed or otherwise affected. However, notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if NHRA believes that an Item should be retained or destroyed, or indefinitely or permanently retained, to prevent further use of such item in competition, NHRA may so retain or destroy such Item. The rights granted to NHRA in this subsection shall also apply to any NHRA member track if deemed necessary by the member track officials.

As Smith sees it, just because that’s a section in the rulebook doesn’t make what NHRA is doing the right thing, or fair to one of its competitors. He believes NHRA should be better than actions like this.

“Without any kind of answers, in my opinion right now, NHRA has stolen our motorcycle,” Smith said. “They have not paid nothing for it, they do not own that motorcycle, and for them to take something that is not theirs is, in my opinion, theft. And when somebody steals something, then you have to get the law involved in that. I have asked for communication to everybody, and nobody seems to want to answer any of my questions.”