NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

In the twilight of his sophomore season, Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Chase Van Sant has been gathering experience and valuable points as he marches toward the 2024 NHRA Countdown to the Championship. This time around, he's prepared for whatever comes his way.

"Last year, it was all so new to me," said Van Sant, who enters the Countdown in the No. 5 position aboard his Tim Kulungian-tuned Trick Tools/Reddy Parts Suzuki. "This year, I've learned a lot about putting in all of the work and performing my best. It takes a lot of effort to show up to Friday qualifying, especially when there are long gaps between races, and perform your best. That's probably been one of the biggest lessons this year, how to show up prepared and feel like I have a shot at winning."

Van Sant realized fairly early that this season was going to be something special. He reached the final round in Chicago, where he ultimately fell to Gaige Herrera (though certainly not by a landslide), and at the next race – Bristol's NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals – Van Sant qualified with a flash of power in the No. 3 position. At the following event (Richmond), he was No. 4 on the qualifying sheet.

Continuing to build steam, the Iowa-based rider tied his career-best qualifying performance with a start from the No. 2 position in Seattle. On Sunday, there at picturesque Pacific Raceways, Van Sant rode his way to a final-round defeat of reigning champion Herrera, 6.720 to 6.754, to hoist the first Pro Stock Motorcycle Wally of his career.

"I always want to think we have a chance, but it was one of those things, you show up and lose to the same guy so many times, what else can you do," recalled Van Sant, who had been knocked out by Herrera in three of the previous six events before Seattle.

"We'd had a good day, we were in the final round, we got valuable points. Gaige was higher qualified and had the fastest bike the round before. It was like, 'Gaige is probably supposed to win this,' so the pressure was off. I was just going to go out there to do my best, and so be it. I had faith in Tim and the team, and I was in another final round with my friend, Gaige. I wasn't worrying about the outcome. I was just focused on the opportunity."

Turning opportunity into win lights is something that Van Sant would like to do again, and the sooner, the better. After Seattle, he picked up round-wins in both Sonoma and at the Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis to close out the regular season, and spirits were high as he had one of the strongest performing motorcycles on Monday in Indy.

In addition to his own growth as a rider, Van Sant has learned the depth and commitment of the team that he wants to grow along with for the long haul. When crew chief Kulungian purchased the well-built operation from original owner and former world champion Jerry Savoie, there were minimal growing pains.

"Tim has handled everything incredibly well, to the point that me and the guys, we really haven't noticed that anything is different. It still feels like it did when it was Jerry's team," expressed Van Sant. "Tim has the flexibility to pick a direction and act on it pretty quickly, but he's also got the budget on his shoulders now, too. He's so sharp, and he's an excellent leader – we all have a ton of respect for Tim Kulungian and the direction he wants to go.  

"This team is really something special. It's more than a team; these guys are like family to me, and I really cherish every second that we get. It helps when you have good people, and it takes a little of the weight off Tim's shoulders and allows him to focus on performance. Last year, we struggled with hurting things here or there, but this year, we've applied what we learned and have improved by leaps and bounds."

At this transitional point of the season, it would be difficult not to flash back to the way things played out a year ago. Last season in Dallas, smack-dab in the middle of the Countdown, Van Sant was charging aboard his Trick Tools-branded White Alligator Racing Suzuki. In the first three Countdown races, he had qualified well in the top half and gone to back-to-back semifinals. Van Sant was No. 5 in the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings entering the event, but his climb ended in the first qualifying session at Texas Motorplex when his left knee made contact with the racing surface in the shutdown area as he attempted to keep his motorcycle from veering into the guardwall. The injury was significant, and the NHRA Rookie of the Year award recipient was forced to sit out the remainder of the season following skin-graft surgery.

Rather than trigger old wounds, that experience makes this season's Countdown to the Championship all the more important to Van Sant. This time around, he'll have the opportunity to stretch into the six-race playoffs and truly show what he and his team have to offer in the most intense weeks of the season. That also means, though, that he must keep his eyes focused steadily ahead, no matter the outcome, at each increment along the way.

"I think the biggest challenge will just be battling the expectations I have for myself," admitted Van Sant. "It's tough when you know what you and your team are capable of, especially in moments where you don't see the results you want. It's easy to get down on yourself or beat yourself up about areas where you're lacking as a rider. I'm super competitive with myself and want to do better than my best, but I have to keep my mindset in the right place. It's important to always work on yourself, and it's equally as important not to dwell on things that happen.

"I can't wait to get to Reading. Last year, I put too much pressure on myself in the Countdown. I was a little on edge and trying desperately to do the best I could. I'm going to try to be a little more laid back and have fun with it. As long as I do what I need to do, I can have the freedom to let go of expectations. I'm excited to see how this all plays out because I think we have a lot going for us. More than anything, I'm just really excited to get to ride my motorcycle again."