Six-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Matt Smith won the GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout for the second consecutive year Saturday at Sonoma Raceway. The victory came as part of the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
Smith earned the $25,000 prize when Richard Gadson went red by .001 seconds in the final round. Smith, riding his Denso/Matt Smith Racing Buell, posted a 6.783-second run at 199.76 mph.
“This is awesome. I love this track. I came here as a kid and watched my dad [Rickie] win in a Pro Stock car. It’s a long tow from North Carolina but it’s worth it. This is also Denso’s home race,” Smith said.
Smith defeated Chase Van Sant in the opening round and teammate John Hall in the semifinals before facing Gadson in the final. “When we ran the semis, I made the decision to choose John, that way we were sure to have a Denso/MSR bike in the final,” Smith said. “It was just a strategy call and it worked.”
Despite the red-light loss, Gadson secured his first career No. 1 qualifier with Friday’s 6.702-second run at 200.77 mph on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki.
“I’m glad we were able to hold on to No. 1,” Gadson said. “This is my first yellow hat and it’s something I’ve wanted for a long time. That was a big run … we didn’t qualify No. 1 by a little bit. It was quite a bit.”
Gadson will face Brad Hawkes in the opening round of Sunday eliminations as he looks for his second win of the season.
“As for the [GETTRX Callout final], we’re running for a lot of money so I made the decision to let it all hang out. Going red by a thousandth of a second is just part of the deal. You’ve got to know how to shake it off,” Gadson said.
Smith qualified second at 6.740 and 200.26 mph, while Hall was third with a 6.759 at 197.28.
Eliminations for the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals begin Sunday at 10:30 a.m. PT at Sonoma Raceway.
