NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle competitor Cory Reed was involved in one of the more dramatic crashes in the class’ history Sunday at the Dewalt NHRA Carolina Nationals at the zMax Dragway in Concord, N.C.
The 28-year old Reed, a seven-year veteran of the two-wheeled category, was racing alongside teammate Joey Gladstone in the quarterfinal round of eliminations and had just trailed Gladstone across the finish line in what proved to be a holeshot loss when his self-owned Reed Motorsports Suzuki Hayabusa drifted toward the center of the racing surface. Despite his valiant efforts, the bike made contact with Gladstone, and the resulting impact pitched Reed’s bike sideways, where it caught air under its flanks and went airborne. Reed was thrown from the bike in a wild scene and contacted the guardrail.
Initial reports from the scene confirmed Reed was conscious, alert, and speaking to members of the NHRA Safety Safari and other emergency personnel. He was transported to a nearby hospital for further evaluation and additional updates on his condition have not been issued at this time.
Reed had qualified 12th and advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Karen Stoffer in the opening round. Gladstone, who himself had been in the hospital with multiple injuries following a crash in testing earlier this season, carried the torch for Reed the rest of raceday, advancing to just his second career final round after another rider, Steve Johnson, also drifted out of his lane in the semifinals. Gladstone ultimately lost to Angelle Sampey in Sunday’s finale.
“Hey, everyone. It’s been a tough day for our team. What we can tell you is that Cory will be okay and is at the hospital. We’re so proud of Joey for continuing to kick butt the rest of the day and making his second final round of his career. We’ll keep you updated on how Cory is doing this week,” the team said in a statement Sunday evening.
9/20 Update: