Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Richard Gadson warned the media ahead of time.
“I hope we got time because there’s a lot of things,” Gadson said as he sat down for his press conference in the Bristol Dragway Media Center.
After a multitude of runner-up finishes, Gadson finally scored his first NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series win, running a 6.884, 196 to beat teammate Gaige Herrera on a holeshot.
“The first thing that comes to my mind is I’m exhausted,” Gadson said. “This has to, hands down, been the most exhausting thing I’ve ever had to do in my life. I knew I could do it. Today was more so for me. I told myself last night, ‘I got to win this one for me.’
“I’m not used to some of the mistakes I’ve made. It made me dig deep. I had to remind myself of what I was capable of.”
Unfortunately, most of Gadson’s reminders were how he’d come up short with the championship on the line. He’s been runner-up four times since joining the Vance & Hines team, losing once to Herrera, twice to Matt Smith, and once to Hector Arana Jr.
This time, he faced Herrera, whose credentials include 23 national event wins in two seasons, two of which have already come this season.
“I kept making a joke all weekend,” Gadson said. “I said, ‘I’m Mr. Almost.”
“Almost won Rookie of the Year, almost qualified No. 1, almost won four races. I said, ‘Not today. I’m going to make sure that I do everything right on my end. I know I have a motorcycle now, so that’s not an excuse anymore. We got three of them.”
There was no almost on the starting line of finish, as Gadson strapped a .018 starting line advantage on Herrera and led him to the stripe, winning with a 6.76.884 196.30, to 6.882, 196.24 margins.
And for all the emotions that should have flowed like a river, Gadson’s post-run demeanor was one of someone who had been there before.
“I’m regretful that my emotions inwardly didn’t show at the finish line, but it is just so much,” Gadson said. “You chase something for literally, literally, it’s cliche, but your whole life. This is all I’ve ever wanted in my drag racing career. It was just one of them. I got one today, so I got a lot of emotions. I wish that I had my family here. That’s a big one because it’s hard to explain.
“It’s hard to explain the rollercoaster ride; the weight at the top has been a maze. I got a lot of people, a lot of people that pushed me here, so I wish y’all all were here. I thank all of y’all, every single one of you. I thank everybody. I don’t even know where to start.”
Gadson’s road to the finals included wins over Charles Poskey, a second-round second-round bye, and Chase Van Sant in the semifinals.
One of the reasons Gadson could have been void of emotion in the shutdown area is because he had to convince himself this was real.
“This time, I just wanted to make sure the win light was mine,” Gadson said. “I know it’s only two lanes, but I just wanted to make sure it was mine and then turn off the track scene. Everybody standing there, my main thought was, ‘Don’t pick up your visor yet, and don’t cry.”
“I am a very emotional guy, but just not outwardly.”
“But just trying to soak it all in and just thinking about the fact that I waited so long for this and what it means to everybody, especially my Mom right now. I can’t wait to call her. I called my girl already. I called Alexis. I can’t wait to call my Mom and my Uncle. My Father passed away when I was six years old, and my Uncle promised at the funeral that he would make sure that I stayed on the bikes and stayed racing. I remember it as clear as day. I remember him saying it. He did that. He just got me here. I owe these thanks to all of those people, to be honest.”
Gadson admitted he drew inspiration from NHRA Announcers who were describing winners in the class and how if he wanted to get that first win, he’d have to take it from them. He took that as a personal challenge.
“They were saying, ‘This is not a normal time. You got Gaige Herrera, who’s a dominant force. If you want to win one, you’re going to have to take it from them,” Gadson said. “You know what? That’s what it is for this weekend. I’m going to go out there and take it.”
“I didn’t think I’d outrun them, even though I know I have a good bike. I didn’t want to bank on it. 014 got me there for a whole shot win. My first one, we did it in good fashion.”
Gadson said he spoke to Herrera in the staging lanes and asked if he could give him a .030 reaction; he’d do the rest. He said this, knowing there was no way Herrera would give him a break. However, in this rare instance, Herrera had a reaction time of 0.032 seconds.
This was all the edge Gadson needed.
“Getting to the finals or getting really close and not pulling it off, it makes you think it’s a missed opportunity,” Gadson said. “I know how hard it is to get back. You know what I mean? Did you look at the ladder this weekend? You got to run through some serious tough guys. You need to catch a break. I’ve been waiting on that break.
“I felt like I’ve ridden good enough to win prior to now at some points, but the other person was just .004 better than me. For me, at least lately, it’s hard to pick yourself back up, come out here, and try to do it again.”
That’s why when rookie teammate Braydon Davis was downplaying his own No. 1 accomplishment, Gadson felt the need to offer his viewpoint.
“He kept saying, ‘No, Sunday’s what matter,” Gadson recalled. “I said, ‘No, you don’t get these small victories here, either.”
“I’ve been here, what? 19 races now. I’ve never qualified No. 1. You don’t take anything for granted.”
Gadson can only hope Davis is like him, a sponge.
“People might not realize that when they talk to me things, I actually hold on to what they say,” Gadson said. “At Chicago, I said to Gaige, ‘How do you get over?”
“I was just thinking, I lost on a holeshot. “How do you get over it?”
“He was like, ‘You just got to come back stronger the next race. That’s all you can do.”
“I stuck to that.”
And his best answer came in the moments when he looked over at Herrera; that’s how you deal with a holeshot loss.
