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Herrera makes bold first move; picks Matt Smith for opening round of GETTRX Callout

The opening round of the GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle NHRA Allstar Callout will feature a can’t-miss match-up between the class’s two most recent champions after low qualifier Gaige Herrera went directly for the throat and called out Matt Smith as his round one opponent.
26 Jul 2024
Kevin McKenna, NHRA National Dragster Senior Editor
News
Callout

The opening round of the GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle NHRA Allstar Callout will feature a can’t-miss match-up between the class’s two most recent champions after low qualifier Gaige Herrera went directly for the throat and called out Matt Smith as his round one opponent.

As the top seed in the event, Herrera could have taken any one of the seven other riders, but he preferred to take matters into his own hands, and selected Smith, a six-time world champ can easily be regarded as his biggest threat.

“There is a good rivalry between MSR and Vance & Hines so I figure we might as well get it done early and get one of the best bikes in the field out of here early,” said Herrera. “Hopefully, we can get it done.”

For his part, Smith didn’t seem to mind being called out by Herrera, and even issued a cautionary statement of his own aimed at the defending event champion.

“This is good. I hope they [Vance & Hines] have that bike tuned up and they took off the sandbags because they’re going to need every bit of it. We’re ready for them.”

The GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle NHRA Allstar Callout is a special event featuring the top eight riders in the class based on their qualifying results in the past year. The annual event will take place on Saturday at the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals and the winner will receive $25,000 and bragging rights over the rest of the class.

Herrera’s callout of Smith might have been shocking, but it was not totally unexpected. After Herrera called out No. 2 seed Smith, GETTRX-backed Hector Arana Jr. picked on a longtime rival of his own when he called out Steve Johnson in a rematch from last year’s opening round. Left with few options, Jianna Evaristo then called out her MSR teammate, John Hall, leaving Angie Smith and recent Seattle winner Chase Van Sant as the final pair in round one.

The winning rider who makes the quickest run in the opening round will select their semifinal opponent. The opening round of the GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle NHRA All-Star Callout takes place at noon on Saturday, July 27, followed by the semifinals at 1:45 p.m. and the final round at 2:45 p.m. A special broadcast highlighting the Callout takes place from 7-8p.m. EDT on FS1.