race against teammate
Eddie Krawiec was a
major source of anxiety.
Herrera and Krawiec are
riding bikes that should
be equal, but Krawiec has
49 NHRA wins and four
championships, giving
him a massive edge in
experience.
"You never want to
race your teammate, and
that put a lot of pres
-
sure on me. He's one of
the greatest out here,"
Herrera said. "To line up
next to him was a lot of
weight on my shoulders.
I was hoping we'd race
in the final, but that's not
how the cards played out.
I grew up watching Eddie
and Andrew and to be at this
level with all these great com
-
petitors is awesome. If you had
asked me end of last season if
I'd be racing the Gatornationals,
much less on a Vance & Hines
bike, I wouldn't have believed it."
Herrera also had to quickly
get used to the idea of being the
favorite; in his previous motor
-
cycle experience, he's always
considered himself the under-
dog.
"I've definitely never had this
big of an advantage," Herrera
said. "I usually run a Nitrous Pro
Street bike and I'm usually about
a 10th behind, so I'm normally
the underdog. This was a differ
-
ent feeling. To have a bike that
was fast, and one that would
repeat, was a big thing to me. I
just tried to hit the shifts and go
straight."
Herrera earned max points
in Gainesville with his 6.685
qualifying effort, and his four
race-day wins against Ron
Tornow, Krawiec, Jianna Evaristo
and Smith. Since he competed in
six events last season, Herrera
is not eligible to win the rookie
of the year award, but he might
just skip that entirely and win the
World title.
Smith also had plenty of
reason to feel good even though
she left Gainesville as the
runner-up. The winner of the
2022 season-finale in Pomona,
California, Smith's Denso Buell is
the most competitive bike she's
ever ridden in her career.
In Gainesville, Smith came
from the number-seven qualify
-
ing spot to record wins against
John Hall, Joey Gladstone, and
newcomer Chase Van Sant be
-
fore racing Herrera in the final.
Van Sant is another rider who
attracted a lot of attention at the
season opener, as he made his
first start in NHRA as a member
of Jerry Savoie's WAR team. Van
Sant is riding the same Suzuki
that carried Karen Stoffer to a
win last year in Gainesville, and
he nearly duplicated the feat
with a semifinal finish. Van Sant
was also the number-three quali-
fier with a 6.747.
The Pro Stock Motorcycle
class will now enjoy a nearly
one-month break before they
return to action at the unique
Four Wide event in Charlotte,
April 28-30.
Kevin McKenna
FINAL
1. Gaige Herrera (Suz)
2. Angie Smith (Bue)
VOLUME ISSUE MARCH , P41
Angie Smith was runner-up
on the Denso Buell.
