Gaige Herrera has reached the point where World Wide Technology Raceway probably ought to start charging him property taxes.
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Four trips to St. Louis. Four consecutive victories. And this one might have been the most important because Herrera didn’t just leave with another trophy Sunday; he took a chunk out of teammate Richard Gadson’s Pro Stock Motorcycle points lead and made the championship fight considerably more uncomfortable.
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Herrera defeated Gadson in an all-Vance & Hines final, running 6.710 seconds at 200.98 mph aboard his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki. Gadson countered with a 6.763 at 200.08, but for the second consecutive race the teammates found themselves racing each other for the trophy.
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This time, Herrera got it.
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“The Countdown, the last six races, is when it all matters,” Herrera said. “Getting this win here in St. Louis means a lot. St. Louis holds a special place for me. I don’t know what it is with this place, but it’s always been very good to me. I wish we had all the races here.
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“Racing Richard in the final puts a lot of pressure on me. He’s the man on the tree. He’s very consistent, and it was awesome to race him in the final. I felt like I was trying to push myself too much the last couple races. This whole weekend, I just reminded myself: I’m living the dream, I’m having fun and that’s what it’s all about.
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“This is a big deal for me. Points-wise, we gained a little bit on my teammate. He still has the points lead, but it’s going to be a dogfight.”
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Herrera now trails Gadson by 32 points with three races remaining, and suddenly the championship fight has a familiar look.
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Herrera and Gadson have accounted for the past three Pro Stock Motorcycle championships, and they are positioned first and second heading toward Dallas.
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The road to Herrera’s fourth consecutive St. Louis victory was convincing. He broke the track record while qualifying No. 1 with a 6.644, then eliminated Michael Phillips and Ryan Oehler before meeting Gadson in the final.
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Herrera admitted he had been trying to force the issue during the opening portion of the Countdown. He lost early in the first two playoff races and then reached the final at Rockingham before finally breaking through Sunday.
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The difference in St. Louis wasn’t another mechanical trick or a dramatic change in approach. Herrera decided to quit squeezing the handlebars quite so tightly.
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“I felt like I was trying to push myself too much the last couple of races,” Herrera said. “And I went out here this whole weekend just reminding myself I’m living a dream, I’m having fun, and that’s what it’s all about. You start taking it too serious and it was literally biting me in the butt.”
There was no escaping the pressure in the final, particularly because Herrera knew exactly who was sitting in the other lane.
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Gadson has developed into one of the class’ most reliable starting-line riders, something Herrera knows better than most. The two race from the same operation, share information and know exactly what the other is capable of doing.
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“Racing Richard there in the final, he puts a lot of pressure on me,” Herrera said. “He’s the man, I feel like, on the tree. He’s very consistent, and it was awesome to race him in the final.”
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Herrera acknowledged his motorcycle had the performance advantage throughout the weekend, while Gadson and crew chief Eddie Krawiec were searching for a little more.
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“I had a little edge on the bike, performance-wise, all weekend, and him and Ed were kind of searching a little bit, but they’ll find it, and it’s going to be a battle to the end,” Herrera said. “I’m looking forward to it. I’m having a lot of fun.”
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Gadson retained the points lead by reaching his seventh final of the season. He defeated Chase Van Sant, Matt Smith and
Rockingham winner John Hall before meeting Herrera.
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The championship picture isn’t limited to the two Vance & Hines riders, either. Herrera pointed to Oehler’s recent improvement and the performances of Smith, Hall and Mark Ingersoll as evidence the class has become increasingly difficult to navigate.
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“I feel like the class is doing really good,” Herrera said. “Seeing Ryan Oehler go out there and his performance gets so much better. I mean, him and his dad and Melanie’s over there now, and just that whole team is putting in work.
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“I feel like the class is good, getting all shaken up, and of course it’s always during the Countdown. So it makes it exciting for us as racers and puts a lot of pressure on us too. You can never count anyone out at this point.”
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Herrera knows something else about championship pressure.
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He watched Gadson take the title from him last season, and he hasn’t forgotten it. Herrera doesn’t pretend otherwise, although he also refuses to diminish what his teammate accomplished.
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“That’s always in the back of my mind,” Herrera said. “But at the end of the day, he won the championship, and he deserved it last year.
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“He was on his game, and he went in there with a points lead and wrapped it up. But hopefully it all plays out this year, and we get to race for it in the end, and nothing better than racing in the final for it.”
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