Route 66 Raceway is Gaige Herrera’s home track and nobody – even if your name is six-time NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Matt Smith – comes into Herrera’s house thinking they’ll steal a win.
A resident of tiny DeMotte, Ind., about an hour from Route 66, Herrera defeated Smith to take the win in Pro Stock Motorcycle in the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals Presented by Peak at Route 66 Raceway.
Herrera is now 6-1 lifetime in final-round battles with Smith. It’s also Herrera’s 23rd career win in NHRA PSM competition, including the last three events at Route 66.
“None of this feels real to me, honestly,” Herrera said. “It’s hard to keep track because there’s been so much in such a short time, so much that I would never have expected. I’m still in awe about this, just living the dream and riding it out.
“Everyone’s chasing me and I grew up watching Matt and Andrew (Hines), all those guys battling it out. So to have my name up there with them is very incredible.”
Herrera took home the commemorative silver Wally winner’s trophy by covering the quarter-mile in 6.777 seconds, 198.90 mph. Smith was faster at 199.02 mph, but was a little slower at 6.805 seconds. The race was over almost from the start as Herrera grabbed the hole shot with a near-perfect reaction time of .005 to Smith’s .024.
“It ain’t too bad for a rental bike, so if anyone rents it, they’ve got a great hot rod,” Herrera laughed.
While Herrera takes on all challengers, he gets up a bit more motivated when he squares off against Smith, particularly in a final round. They’re rivals on-track, but friends off it.
In a way, Smith, the six-time PSM champion, is doing Herrera, the two-time PSM champ, a favor by racing against him.
“Me and Matt always go back and forth and try to do something to get into each other’s heads,” Herrera said. “We push each other to do better. It’s all fun with Matt, he brings out the best in me. Me and him both know we’re on our A game against each other.”
Herrera enjoyed a first-round bye, then took down John Hall and Chris Bostick for the right to face Smith. Smith took down Wesley Wells, Jianna Evaristo, and Steve Johnson.
Although his postrace interview with the media was light-hearted, Herrera’s face grew serious when asked about what makes him and his team so good.
“We’re deadly,” he said of Vance & Hines and all the people that surround him. “It doesn’t matter what bike we got, we figure it out and it’s going to go to the top.
“Andrew (Hines and) me are a deadly combo. I mean the whole Vance & Hines crew, the guys back at the shop, it’s a whole deadly operation. And it showed today, it showed this weekend.
“We rolled out a bike that we thought was messed up, and it goes out there and goes No. 1 and wins the race. So it just goes to show we got some fast hot rods, and it’s not just one.”
