the people from Vance & Hines
who have won here. It was an
adjustment for sure, but the bike
was running well all weekend. It
makes my job a little easier when
you have a bike like [this]."
Any win in the Camping World
NHRA series is a good win, but
the win in Denver was special
since this is the final event being
contested at Bandimere Speed
-
way, which has been in opera-
tion for 65 years and has hosted
an NHRA round since 1979. The
track, which is carved out of the
side of the Rocky Mountains and
offers one of the most majestic
views in all of motorsports, has
been sold. While the Bandimere
family has announced their in
-
tentions to build another facility
in the Denver area, it's unlikely to
have the ambience of the track
known as "thunder mountain."
"To be able to bounce back
from (the last two races) here, of
all places, it's an amazing feel
-
ing," Herrera said. "It's a shame
to see it go but I'm just glad to
put my name as part of the last
to ever win here in Pro Stock
Motorcycle."
The Vance & Hines team has a
special relationship with Bandi
-
mere Speedway. The Pro Stock
Motorcycle class has been con-
tested in Denver 31 times and
Vance & Hines machines have
won 14 of them. Matt Hines
won four races here while his
younger brother, Andrew, won
five events and Eddie Krawiec
also has four victories here to go
with Herrera's 2023 victory.
Early on, it appeared the week
-
end would belong to GETTRX
Buell's Hector Arana Jr., who set
the track record with a 7.04-sec
-
ond run in qualifying. Arana Jr.
had the best bike in the field by
a large margin, but he slowed
in the semifinal round, allowing
Smith to reach the final.
Angie Smith rode to her sec
-
ond final round of the season
and the seventh of her career
following wins against Jianna
Evaristo, Krawiec and Arana.
Smith also helped herself with
a string of competitive reaction
times. Smith's reactions proved
to be a hair too quick in the final
round as she left 0.003 seconds
too soon, drawing the red-light
start. Regardless, her 7.180-sec
-
ond run would not have been
quick enough to beat Herrera's
7.103.
Herrera has a near lock on
the top spot in the champion
-
ship standings with 672 points
followed by Arana Jr. at 453 and
Steve Johnson at 390. Angie
Smith moved to fourth place
with 388 points, just ahead of
Krawiec's 384.
The Pro Stock Motorcycle
class will now enter uncharted
territory with two more events
in the next two weeks. They will
make their first appearance at
Pacific Raceways near Seattle
next weekend before finding the
grueling three-week "Western
Swing" with a trip to Sonoma
Raceway in Sonoma, California.
Kevin McKenna
FINAL
1. Gaige Herrera (Suz)
2. Angie Smith (Bue)
VOLUME ISSUE JULY , P41
Angie Smith made it to the final
but red-lighted, making life a
little easier on Herrera.
