| October 4, 2023
Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Gaige Herrera has officially bounced back from a couple of rough outings in the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle class with his eighth win in 12 races at the Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois.
Gaige Herrera made it back-to-back wins in Illinois
Story by Kevin McKenna | Photos by Matt Polito
Herrera was once again nearly flawless as he rode to a 6.72 for the win over his Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki to defeat teammate Eddie Krawiec in the final round. Herrera struggled in the opening round of the Countdown to the Championship playoffs and briefly surrendered his championship lead to Denso Suzuki’s Matt Smith. Now, the second-year rider is firmly in command of the championship battle with a 99-point lead with three events remaining in the season.
“Hopefully, I still have a job after knocking Ed off, but that final round was good for our whole team,” Herrera said. “All day, I had a very consistent motorcycle, and the first round was probably the most nervous round for me. Racing Joey [Gladstone], he’s always a tough competitor, so I knew he was going to be on it. All day has been good.
“I can’t give enough credit to the whole Vance & Hines Mission Suzuki team. I still can’t believe I got that phone call almost a year ago now to race for them. It’s been incredible, and I’m proud to be part of it.”
Herrera qualified in the top spot for the 11th time this season, tying the NHRA record in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class. Herrera also broke the track elapsed-time record in the first round with a 6.701 in his win over Gladstone.
“This is very cool. I just have to give it up to Andrew [Hines, crew chief] and all the guys at the shop—and Matt Hines, included,” Herrera said. “They’re the ones that make that possible. To be able to get that many number-one qualifiers in one season is incredible. There have been a lot of remarkable, crazy things I’ve accomplished so far this year, but to add something like this to it is pretty cool.
“We tried to do different things on the bike. The track is kind of a little tricky for us, so I feel like we made good passes, considering. We’ll go back and go over all our data and be ready for tomorrow. All in all, I felt pretty good on the bike.”
Herrera defeated Eddie Krawiec in the final.
Herrera also defeated Trick Tools Suzuki’s Chase Van Sant to reach the final. So far this season, Herrera has a 38-4 record during elimination rounds for the best winning percentage among any NHRA pro, regardless of class.
Krawiec, still in search of his historic 50th win, stopped Ryan Oehler, Jianna Evaristo and Matt Smith on his way to the final.
Herrera’s performance, and the event in general, was overshadowed by a qualifying accident involving Denso Buell’s Angie Smith. The wife of championship contender Matt Smith, Angie came off her Buell at over 190-mph and suffered a variety of injuries, including two broken feet. Smith and his teammates Gladstone and Jianna Evaristo sat out Saturday’s second qualifying session but returned for Sunday’s final eliminations.
Angie Smith came into the St. Louis event as the number-five ranked rider in the class following a pair of runner-up finishes in Gainesville and Denver. She has three career wins in seven final rounds.
After three straight weekends, the Pro Stock Motorcycle class will take a two-week break before returning at the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals in Ennis, Texas, October 12-15.
VIDEO | Gaige Herrera takes his eighth win of the season
NHRA
- Gaige Herrera (Suz)
- Eddie Krawiec (Suz)
