Jianna Evaristo never envisioned herself racing professionally. Yes, she grew up in the sport with her father, Mike, an NHRA national event Top Fuel-winning driver, but her racing seemed like a dream more than a reality.
“I remember going to Sonoma (Calif.) when we were kids standing outside the stanchions trying to get Ashley Force’s autograph,” Evaristo said. “I never thought I would be racing at that level.”
Fast-forward to 2026, and Evaristo is set to begin her seventh year competing in NHRA’s Pro Stock Motorcycle class. She once again will be riding a Buell for Matt Smith Racing.
“I’m really excited,” Evaristo said. “I think it’s safe to say that last year we didn’t have the year we thought we were going to have performance-wise. It was a rough year for our whole team.”
“We were ready for that season to end so that way we could start working for the 2026 season,” she added. “The team has been working really hard all offseason trying to find more horsepower.”
“I always say MSR, you can never count them out,” Evaristo said. “Matt and Angie will do everything they can to figure things out.”
“That’s really what they have been doing all offseason, testing on the dyno and doing everything they can so we can have a good year this year,” she said. “I think it is going to be a really good season.”
“I’m going into this year with an open mind; the past is in the past,” Evaristo said. She posted a 9-14 elimination-round record in 2025 and finished seventh in the points standings.
She recorded a career-best fifth-place finish in 2023. The 2026 campaign will begin at the Gatornationals, March 5-8, in Gainesville, Fla.
“I think there’s always room for growth,” Evaristo said. “I have had a lot of success going into my seventh year.”
“I’m really proud of how far I have come in racing, and I’m nowhere near perfect,” she said. “There are a lot more things I would like to achieve.”
“We have had some setbacks with performance and switching bikes, starting over and learning new things,” Evaristo said. “But I’m very big on the fact that as long as I’m going in a steady upward motion, to me that’s very important.”
“The small little wins are how you get the big wins,” she said. “As great as the racers are out here, very few people became champions overnight.”
When challenges arise, Evaristo said she leans on the experience of Matt Smith, a world champion, and his wife, Angie, a national event winner.
“The support and the experience that Matt and Angie have given me have propelled me to become the racer I am today both on and off the track,” Evaristo said. “Racing is a lot more mental than most people think it is.”
“They have really helped me shape my perspective on success with racing,” she said. “That has really allowed me to become more successful as a racer physically on the track.”
In the NHRA’s 75-year history, women have played a key role in the sanctioning body’s success. From Shirley Muldowney to Erica Enders and Brittany Force, the list continues to grow.
Evaristo said she is proud to be part of that chapter of the sport’s history. Her sister, Jasmine Salinas, competes in Top Fuel.
“Jasmine and I always talk about this,” Evaristo said. “Drag racing is really all we know in terms of motorsports, and men and women racing together is normal for us.”
“It really wasn’t until we started going to PRI and SEMA that we started realizing that was not normal for a lot of other motorsports,” she said. “I never would have thought Jasmine or I would ever be considered role models.”
“It is a very amazing opportunity to be able to come out here and race,” Evaristo said. “You always have someone watching you.”
“We do our best to not just be good racers on the track but also be good representatives for the next generation,” she said. “Jasmine and I are constantly pushing to be better not just for ourselves but for the next generation.”
Although her father and sister have made names for themselves in Top Fuel, that class was never really an option for Evaristo. She found her comfort zone on two wheels.
“Don’t get me wrong, Top Fuel is crazy, and I don’t know if I could ever do it,” Evaristo said. “The idea of being strapped in a car for Jasmine makes her feel safe.”
“The idea of being strapped in a car for me makes me freak out,” she said. “The idea of being free on the motorcycle, I love that.”
“I chose the motorcycle route because I loved motorcycles,” Evaristo said. “I didn’t actually touch a motorcycle until I was 19, which is unheard of.”
“My dad grew up around motorcycles and kind of had a rough upbringing, and he knew how dangerous they were,” she said. “So he never ever let us near motorcycles.”
“I will be the first person to admit I had no idea what I was getting into when I started racing,” Evaristo said. “We make it look easy, but these things are not easy to ride.”
“A lot of people told me I couldn’t do it,” she said. “I’m very stubborn, and I let that fuel everything I do in my life.”
“If you doubt me, I might not win today and I might not win tomorrow,” Evaristo said. “But I will make it my mission for the rest of my life to win.”
