PHOTOGRAPHS BY NHRA / NATIONAL DRAGSTER

PRO STOCK Motorcycle racer Joey Gladstone has made a career of persisting . This year in particular , the resilience of the Virginia transplant was tested , but Gladstone has seized the opportunity to once again prove he cannot be kept down .

A native of Delaware , Gladstone grew up watching his dad race everything from Super Comp to A / Fuel dragster .

“ I loved going to the dragstrip ,” he says . “ When I was 11 or 12 , my parents said I could either get a Jr . Dragster , a dirt bike , or a four-wheeler . I chose a dirt bike because I knew I wanted to race motorcycles . I was always the smallest kid in my class , and I noticed that riders like Angelle [ Sampey ] were all small and went fast on motorcycles .”

For his 16th birthday , he and his dad ventured to the local junkyard and dropped $ 700 on a 1994 Suzuki Katana , which they modified for racing . From there , they progressed to faster and faster motorcycles as Gladstone gained experience and money would allow . His skill on a motorcycle and tenacity caught attention .

A four-year stint in Pro Street produced a plethora of wins and championships , and in 2016 , Gladstone received a phone call from Detroit-area businessman Joe Riccardi , who wanted to start an NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle team . In their first full season together , Gladstone earned a top 10 finish .

“ We were a new team , everybody was really green , but thanks to my good friend Greg Underdahl , I learned about body position and timing ,” Gladstone explains .

In addition to learning and growing as a rider , Gladstone was unknowingly forming friendships that would stabilize his future . Fellow rider Cory Reed emerged as a best friend , teammate , and eventually , team owner . They now race under the Reed Motorsports banner .

In April of 2021 , Gladstone crashed a nitrous-equipped Suzuki and suffered multiple injuries in a testing incident in South Carolina . The accident kept him out just one race before he was back on the NHRA circuit and breaking his way into the top 10 aboard a Vance &

Hines Suzuki .

Six months later , in Charlotte , Reed and Gladstone were side-by-side in eliminations . Gladstone won the round , but in the shutdown area , he and his teammate ’ s motorcycles made contact , and Reed suffered significant injuries .

Gladstone , powered by adrenaline and the need to bring a trophy home for his injured best friend , reached the final , but it was not to be . He was leading , but just past the 1,000-foot mark , the kill switch came unplugged and the bike went silent . The loss was excruciating , but weeks later , Gladstone had processed the course of events .“ It was a rollercoaster ,” says Gladstone , 30 . “ That weekend will always stick with me . We had such an incredibly tough thing happen , but it showed the true colors , commitment , and heart of our team . I ’ m proud of everybody . Especially Cory . Cory and his family have blessed my life and given me opportunities I never would have had without them . I owe them everything , and I ’ m forever grateful .” – KELLY WADE DI

November 2021

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