I could [for Smith's bike to fire]
but at the end of the day I got
the win. I'm not a big person to
show emotion, but I was yelling
and screaming inside my helmet
when I crossed the finish line.
"Everything that's happened
this season, has been amazing.
I just wish my great grandfather
would have been here to see it.
He started all of this with our
whole family racing."
Herrera has been a beast
in qualifying this year and the
Sonoma event was no different
as he rode to a 6.728 to lead the
16-bike field. Matt Smith was
close behind with a second-best
6.729, but as the event wore on,
few could keep pace with the
championship leader.
Herrera kicked off elimina
-
tions by beating Ryan Oehler
and he continued with victories
against Marc Ingwersen, and
his mentor Karen Stoffer. Her-
rera made just one questionable
run, a 6.836, that was more than
enough to get the job done.
Herrera didn't just win the
Sonoma Nationals title, he also
grabbed a $15,000 bonus on
Saturday for winning the NHRA
Allstar Callout, a special event
featuring the eight best riders
in the class. The format of the
event allowed each order to
choose their opponent for each
round and Herrera picked care
-
fully as he cruised to the title. In
the final round, Herrera defeated
Angie Smith on her Denso Buell.
Smith was clearly frustrated
to lose the final without having a
chance to race Herrera, but he's
optimistic that his best days of
the season lie ahead of him. In
addition to his impressive quali
-
fying performance, Smith also
secured wins against Lance Bon-
ham, Steve Johnson and Vance
& Hines Suzuki's Eddie Krawiec.
After three-straight races
in three weeks, the Pro Stock
Motorcycle class now takes an
extended break before returning
at the sport's biggest event, the
U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on
August 30-September 4. That
event will set the field for the
Countdown to the Champion
-
ship, NHRA's six-race playoff to
determine the season champion.
Kevin McKenna
Final
1. Gaige Herrera (Suz)
2. Matt Smith (Suz)
VOLUME ISSUE AUGUST , P31
Herrera didn't back off after Matt Smith's
bike refused to start in the final.
