It’s been close to six months since Angie Smith endured a horrific crash at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill., that left her with eight broken toes and a severe burn on her right arm.
During NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying, when Smith crossed the finish line at more than 200 mph, the front tire of her motorcycle hit a few bumps at the top end, bobbled and lifted into the air. She immediately grabbed the brake out of reflex, but that meant when the tire came back down and hit the ground, it was no longer spinning.
“It caused a procedure called washing out, where the tire just goes under the bike,” Smith explained. “It happened so fast that I didn’t have enough time to react. I came off the bike and I flipped — I don’t even know how many times.”
After being separated from her Denso motorcycle, the core detail she remembers was seeing blood gush out of her arm once she barrel-rolled to a stop on her back. She also recalls closing her eyes until the NHRA safety safari arrived on the scene.
Immediately after being examined on-site, Smith was transported to a nearby hospital where she was diagnosed with a slew of injuries.
“I was in two walking boots on both feet. I had a burn on my arm from the heat of the pavement and it burned all the way down to the tendon. I had to have a skin graft on my arm and a skin graft on my toe, so I had to have two surgeries on both of those to get it repaired,” Smith said.
However, the physical pain of Smith’s wounds didn’t come close to the emotional agony she felt when both her doctor and husband, six-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Matt Smith, insisted she stay home from the drag strip the next week.
“Matt was very adamant and the doctor was very adamant that I had to stay home and rest and let my body heal. I didn’t want to listen to either one of them,” Angie Smith said. “But (Matt) laid down the law and said I couldn’t go.”
She listened, albeit not willingly, and stayed home during the week while the Matt Smith Racing crew tested and eventually headed to Dallas, Texas, for the NHRA FallNationals.
“Those five days were the longest and worst days of my life, because all I could do was watch it on NHRA.tv,” Smith said. “I have a very high pain tolerance, pain doesn’t bother me…I just wanted to be at the track.”
It was the first NHRA event Smith had missed in 16 years.
The 44-year-old was back the next week for the Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Although she didn’t make full passes, her appearances at both Las Vegas and the finale at In-N-Out Burger Drag Strip in Pomona, Calif., were enough to keep her in the top 10 in points.
Prior to her accident, she was fifth in the standings.
“I am satisfied that I had the courage and everything that I did leading up to get back on the bike to manage the finish eighth,” Smith said. “I’m glad I did that. But I think it gives me more drive and determination because I really want to do better than I did two years ago.”
In 2022, she earned her career-best points result and finished third in the standings. Smith, who admittedly strives for perfection, is hoping to do better this season.
After being medically cleared for exercise — and racing — on January 1, she has been back to her routine of running four miles a day and training in the gym six days a week.
Smith feels “a hundred percent” heading into this weekend’s season-opening NHRA Gatornationals at Florida’s Gainesville Raceway and is extra invigorated to get the year started.
“It’s gonna be a tough season, but I can promise you this — I think I’m more determined than I’ve ever been just to prove a point,” Smith said. “My small goals are to win at least a race and finish in the top five (in points). The ultimate goal is to win a championship.”
The fierce North Carolina native earned two runner-ups and two semifinal finishes last season, which she was moderately content with after Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Gaige Herrera dominated the season and won 11 of 15 races.
Smith was also pleased with her performance due to the fact the Matt Smith Racing team had been testing a new fuel-injection system on the bike, which put them at a slight disadvantage from the get-go. Now that they’ve developed maps and collected data on the new system, Smith is carrying considerable optimism about where the team is positioned ahead of the new season.
In addition to the team’s technical improvements and her full physical recovery, there is one final element that has been pushing Smith’s career trajectory upward over the last several years.
“I’ve started working in the shop every day,” Smith said. “I have learned how the motorcycle works and I have learned more about an engine in the last five years than I knew my entire life. I now put motors together and I am in that shop every day with my husband, learning new stuff of what to do and the fundamentals of how the motorcycle works.”
In turn, being hands-on in the shop has helped Smith become a better rider, as she can communicate more specifically with her husband (who acts as her crew chief) about what the bike is doing on a race weekend, even if the computer doesn’t show it.
“I think I feel the best that I’ve felt in the last couple years mentally going in because I know that, more than anything, I have to be mentally strong. In drag racing, it’s a lot of mental work,” Smith said. “You cannot let the negativity get to you and, you know, I think I’ve learned that through the crash.”