BRADENTON, Fla. (Feb. 11, 2025) – A global leader in the motorsports, aerospace, and medical manufacturing industries, Hangsterfer’s Metalworking Lubricants is proud to continue to support cutting-edge initiatives both on and off the race track. Hangsterfer’s latest contribution to NHRA Drag Racing includes partnering with AB Motorsports Accelerate program athlete Angelle Sampey as she prepares to debut the first enclosed canopy cockpit on an A/Fuel dragster when the 2025 NHRA season opens with the Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway next month.
As a former member of Don Schumacher Racing, AB Motorsports team owner and driver Antron Brown was the second NHRA driver to compete in the modern canopy Top Fuel dragster that first hit the track in 2012. NHRA officials have since authorized the canopy-style dragster body to compete in the Top Alcohol Dragster category beginning in 2025.
“We’re excited to be the first to field a canopy car in the Top Alcohol Dragster class,” Brown said. “I first started racing in a canopy car in 2013 and it’s something I feel strongly about. Safety is always first and foremost and I’m glad we were able to implement this on Angelle’s car. A huge thank you to Hangsterfer’s for supporting this initiative. This is the next step in seeing the category continue to be a developmental platform for the future crop of Top Fuel drivers. Our goal has always been to steadily prepare Angelle to move to Top Fuel and by converting our race-proven backup car into an A/Fuel car, we’re moving towards that objective.”
Sampey began preparations for the upcoming race season on Feb. 10 at Bradenton Motorsports Park with her Michalek Brothers Racing (MBR) team, led by brothers Corey and Kyle. The team will continue to test at the Florida facility through Feb. 12, and the canopied Hangsterfer’s dragster will make its official on-track entry on March 6 to begin qualifying for the Gatornationals.
“I’ve never been more excited to start a race season, and I truly mean that,” Sampey said. “Hangsterfer’s has stepped up to support AB Motorsports and the Accelerate program to allow me to live my dreams and improve behind the wheel of this A/Fuel dragster with the goal of graduating up to Top Fuel in the near future.”
Hangsterfer’s was named the primary sponsor of Sampey’s A/Fuel dragster, which competes in NHRA’s Top Alcohol Dragster category, the feeder class to Top Fuel, last May before the Cleetus & Cars event at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Sampey raced the green and black rail to the final round of the prestigious U.S. Nationals over Labor Day weekend before capturing her first career win on four wheels at the Pep Boys Nationals in Reading, Pa. in September. It was her 47th NHRA triumph to go along with her three NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle championships.
“We had such a wonderful first full season in A/Fuel last year with Hangsterfer’s and my MBR team and that was capped off by winning at Reading last fall and doubling up with Antron’s team,” added Sampey.” That really was one of my greatest days in racing. I got to attend the IMTS (International Manufacturing Technology Show) in Chicago, spend much of the PRI Show in Indy, and the Blackhawk Industrial Tradeshow in Oklahoma City this January with my Hangsterfer’s family, and they sincerely have become family in a very short time. I can’t wait for the great things in store in 2025.”
Hangsterfer’s, which joined Brown’s Matco Tools Top Fuel team while at Don Schumacher Racing, enters a second decade in support of the four-time NHRA Top Fuel champion and 80-time race winner. Hangsterfer’s branding will again adorn the sides of the Matco Tools car, along with primary branding on Sampey’s A/Fuel dragster, which will compete in up to 15 NHRA Misson Foods and Lucas Oil Series races throughout the 2025 season. The Hangsterfer’s sales team also will host more than 300 guests, trackside, in AB Motorsports’ Pit-Side Experience hospitality area that flanks Brown’s Top Fuel pit.
“Hangsterfer’s, with Mike Ditzel and the Jones family, continues to be such an amazing partner and avid supporter of our team and the sport of NHRA Drag Racing,” Brown added. “They continue to help our organization grow for the future while working very closely with our partners to cultivate B2B relationships, which helps us with a better product on the track, while the support and technology from Hangsterfer’s help our vendor partners produce a better-quality product.”
The Hangsterfer’s/ABM partnership has proven beneficial in opening doors to vendors who now utilize Hangsterfer’s products in their facilities. ABM vendors such as Point 1, DSR Performance, Race Winning Brands, and Darton Sleeves all use Hangsterfer’s coolant and cutting fluid in their CNC machines thanks to relationships which were born trackside at the dragstrip.
“Hangsterfer’s has been a sponsor of Antron Brown for more than a decade now and we are proud to be a part of his success in becoming a champion team owner and driver,” Mike Ditzel, Hangsterfer’s Director of Motorsports Performance Products, said. “My personal relationship with Antron has grown beyond the drag strip. To call Antron a friend is an understatement.
“With ABM’S Accelerate Program, we are proud to have supported Angelle Sampey as she turned the page from Pro Stock Motorcycle to driving the Hangsterfers A/Fuel Dragster. We’re excited to see her turn on more win lights in 2025 and compete for an NHRA championship.”
Sampey and Brown will open their 2025 campaigns with the NHRA Gatornationals, March 6 – 9, at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Fla. Qualifying for the Top Alcohol Dragster category gets underway at 4:30 p.m. local time on Thursday, while Top Fuel qualifying begins at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, March 7.
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As a former member of Don Schumacher Racing, AB Motorsports team owner and driver Antron Brown was the second NHRA driver to compete in the modern canopy Top Fuel dragster that first hit the track in 2012. NHRA officials have since authorized the canopy-style dragster body to compete in the Top Alcohol Dragster category beginning in 2025.
“We’re excited to be the first to field a canopy car in the Top Alcohol Dragster class,” Brown said. “I first started racing in a canopy car in 2013 and it’s something I feel strongly about. Safety is always first and foremost and I’m glad we were able to implement this on Angelle’s car. A huge thank you to Hangsterfer’s for supporting this initiative. This is the next step in seeing the category continue to be a developmental platform for the future crop of Top Fuel drivers. Our goal has always been to steadily prepare Angelle to move to Top Fuel and by converting our race-proven backup car into an A/Fuel car, we’re moving towards that objective.”
Sampey began preparations for the upcoming race season on Feb. 10 at Bradenton Motorsports Park with her Michalek Brothers Racing (MBR) team, led by brothers Corey and Kyle. The team will continue to test at the Florida facility through Feb. 12, and the canopied Hangsterfer’s dragster will make its official on-track entry on March 6 to begin qualifying for the Gatornationals.
“I’ve never been more excited to start a race season, and I truly mean that,” Sampey said. “Hangsterfer’s has stepped up to support AB Motorsports and the Accelerate program to allow me to live my dreams and improve behind the wheel of this A/Fuel dragster with the goal of graduating up to Top Fuel in the near future.”
Hangsterfer’s was named the primary sponsor of Sampey’s A/Fuel dragster, which competes in NHRA’s Top Alcohol Dragster category, the feeder class to Top Fuel, last May before the Cleetus & Cars event at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Sampey raced the green and black rail to the final round of the prestigious U.S. Nationals over Labor Day weekend before capturing her first career win on four wheels at the Pep Boys Nationals in Reading, Pa. in September. It was her 47th NHRA triumph to go along with her three NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle championships.
“We had such a wonderful first full season in A/Fuel last year with Hangsterfer’s and my MBR team and that was capped off by winning at Reading last fall and doubling up with Antron’s team,” added Sampey.” That really was one of my greatest days in racing. I got to attend the IMTS (International Manufacturing Technology Show) in Chicago, spend much of the PRI Show in Indy, and the Blackhawk Industrial Tradeshow in Oklahoma City this January with my Hangsterfer’s family, and they sincerely have become family in a very short time. I can’t wait for the great things in store in 2025.”
Hangsterfer’s, which joined Brown’s Matco Tools Top Fuel team while at Don Schumacher Racing, enters a second decade in support of the four-time NHRA Top Fuel champion and 80-time race winner. Hangsterfer’s branding will again adorn the sides of the Matco Tools car, along with primary branding on Sampey’s A/Fuel dragster, which will compete in up to 15 NHRA Misson Foods and Lucas Oil Series races throughout the 2025 season. The Hangsterfer’s sales team also will host more than 300 guests, trackside, in AB Motorsports’ Pit-Side Experience hospitality area that flanks Brown’s Top Fuel pit.
“Hangsterfer’s, with Mike Ditzel and the Jones family, continues to be such an amazing partner and avid supporter of our team and the sport of NHRA Drag Racing,” Brown added. “They continue to help our organization grow for the future while working very closely with our partners to cultivate B2B relationships, which helps us with a better product on the track, while the support and technology from Hangsterfer’s help our vendor partners produce a better-quality product.”
The Hangsterfer’s/ABM partnership has proven beneficial in opening doors to vendors who now utilize Hangsterfer’s products in their facilities. ABM vendors such as Point 1, DSR Performance, Race Winning Brands, and Darton Sleeves all use Hangsterfer’s coolant and cutting fluid in their CNC machines thanks to relationships which were born trackside at the dragstrip.
“Hangsterfer’s has been a sponsor of Antron Brown for more than a decade now and we are proud to be a part of his success in becoming a champion team owner and driver,” Mike Ditzel, Hangsterfer’s Director of Motorsports Performance Products, said. “My personal relationship with Antron has grown beyond the drag strip. To call Antron a friend is an understatement.
“With ABM’S Accelerate Program, we are proud to have supported Angelle Sampey as she turned the page from Pro Stock Motorcycle to driving the Hangsterfers A/Fuel Dragster. We’re excited to see her turn on more win lights in 2025 and compete for an NHRA championship.”
Sampey and Brown will open their 2025 campaigns with the NHRA Gatornationals, March 6 – 9, at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Fla. Qualifying for the Top Alcohol Dragster category gets underway at 4:30 p.m. local time on Thursday, while Top Fuel qualifying begins at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, March 7.
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