NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Proving that last year’s 11-win championship season was anything but a fluke, Gaige Herrera clinched his second-straight Mission Foods NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle title on Sunday in Pomona. Herrera entered final eliminations at the season-ending In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals with a 119 point lead over six-time champion Matt Smith and officially locked up the title with his round one win against Aaron Pine.

Herrera, the No. 3 qualifier with a 6.765, rode to a 6.779 to officially seal the title, although Pine made things interesting with a .009 reaction time.

“I have the best team out here; All of them. None of this would be possible without them," said Herrera. "I’m still just a kid out here living the dream. I’m trying to make sure Matt [Smith] doesn’t retire so I don’t’ want him to get that seventh championship.

“In the first round that might be the most nervous I’ve been all season. It’s nice to get it done and get all that weight off my shoulders.”

Some have already labeled Herrera as the best pure talent in the history of the Pro Stock Motorcycle class and at this stage of his career, that does not appear to be hyperbole. His riding technique compliments the characteristics of the Vance & Hines Suzuki, and he’s so far been nearly immune to pressure, carrying on with a quiet confidence.

In his second season as a member of the RevZilla Vance & Hines Suzuki team, Herrera has made NHRA history by winning 21 out of 29 events. No NHRA pro in any class has ever delivered more victories in a shorter time frame.

This season, Herrera opened with a victory at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville where he also made what is so far the best run of the season at 6.629-seconds. Herrera went on to add wins in Charlotte, Chicago, Bristol, Richmond and Norwalk, and didn’t lose his first race until August when 2023 Rookie of the Year Chase Van Sant got the best of him in the Seattle final. By then, Herrera had set an NHRA record with 11-straight wins and 46 consecutive round wins dating back to the 2023 season.

Herrera won the U.S. Nationals to seal the top spot in the Countdown to the Championship standings but suffered semifinal losses in Reading and Charlotte to move to second behind a surging Matt Smith. With the help of crew chief Andrew Hines, Herrera quickly regained his footing, and posted three more wins in St. Louis, Dallas, and Las Vegas to put a near hammerlock on his second title.

Entering Pomona, Herrera boasts a gaudy47-4 record in elimination rounds this season and he’s 97-7 in the last two seasons. The only rider with more than one win against Herrera is Jianna Evaristo.

For all his success, Herrera has remained humble and he is quick to share credit with the rest of his team that includes Andrew Hines, Eddie and Jay Krawiec, Scott Sceurman, and Ray Viers as well as team owners Terry Vance and Byron Hines.