Gaige Herrera delivered under pressure in Las Vegas, winning his third straight NHRA Nevada Nationals on Sunday and tightening the Pro Stock Motorcycle championship race to within a single round. The defending two-time world champion rode his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki to a 6.809-second, 198.17-mph pass to beat Angie Smith in the final and close to just 21 points behind teammate Richard Gadson heading into Pomona.
The victory was Herrera’s seventh of the season and 28th of his career, continuing his dominance at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The performance also extended his Vegas win streak to three years, solidifying his status as the class’s most consistent force when championships are on the line.
“This weekend couldn’t have gone any better,” Herrera said. “Me and my teammate facing off in the semis, him with the points lead. I needed him to go out to get a little closer, and what a race between me and him — my .005 to his perfect light. It just goes to show how hungry we both are to get this championship right now.”
The semifinal battle between Herrera and Gadson was one of the most intense rounds of the season. Gadson left the line with a perfect .000 reaction time, but Herrera’s near-flawless .005 start and 6.825-second run edged him out. The win not only advanced Herrera to the final but also sliced Gadson’s championship advantage to a narrow margin.
“It’s like we’re good friends, but we aren’t at the moment,” Herrera said with a grin. “Luckily, I had a little better bike that round, or else he would’ve had me. It’s crazy that we’ve got to push it that hard right now. We’re both going up there willing to cut our own throats as far as going red, because we know we’re both on it.”
Herrera said the victory was as much mental as mechanical. “That was a big round for me,” he said. “I put my whole focus into that round. Going up to the final, I was kind of like, ‘All right, let’s just go make another lap.’ But Angie put up a good fight there. She was .01 behind me, and I could hear that bike right there. I took a little peek over, and I’m like, ‘Man, she’s close.’”
The final round capped a near-flawless weekend for Herrera, who qualified No. 1 and marched through the field with wins over Karen Stoffer, Clayton Howey, and Gadson before defeating Smith. For Smith, it was her second final-round appearance of the season and 11th of her career after beating Freddie Camarena, Matt Smith, and Brayden Davis.
The pressure, Herrera said, is nothing new—but this time, it’s more personal. “It just makes it more interesting and a lot more fun for us as a whole team,” he said. “It’s funny, talking to Ed and Andrew [Hines], I think they’re under more pressure than we are right now. It’s pretty interesting, but it’s a lot of fun.”
As for whether he felt sympathy for Gadson after the semifinal defeat, Herrera didn’t hesitate. “Why would I do that?” he said flatly. “We both want it. We’re both very competitive people. We’ve raced each other many times, and we both always want to win. Hopefully, we go into Pomona and it’s us in the final — that would be very cool. It just creates a little drama and makes it so much more exciting.”
The stakes at Pomona could not be higher. With the points margin unlikely to exceed 30, the championship could come down to a single, winner-take-all round between the Vance & Hines teammates. Herrera welcomes that possibility. “I honestly love it,” he said. “I feel like I do better under pressure. The last two seasons, I just had to win first round to clinch the championship. This year, it’s been different. Richard’s been on point — he’s probably got the best reaction time average in the class — but this has made me push myself more mentally.”
Herrera admitted the road to Las Vegas was not without struggle. “For sure, there was a point a race or two ago where it felt like things were slipping away,” he said. “It was just one thing after another, going downhill. My grandfather always says, ‘Once you’re at the top, there’s only one way you can go, and that’s down.’ I definitely felt that, but we bounced back. It’s not over yet — anything can happen in Pomona.”
With the title race heading toward its most dramatic conclusion in years, Herrera remains grounded but confident. “There’s a lot of rounds left and points and a half in Pomona,” he said. “I could win here and go out first round there, so it’s never over. But for now, this weekend gave us everything we needed — a win, confidence, and a shot.”
And with one race left to determine drag racing’s ultimate prize, Herrera made his intentions clear. “Pressure doesn’t scare me,” he said with a smile. “It fuels me. I don’t just want to win races — I want to win championships.”
