Herrera Back On Top After Eighth Win
V
ance & Hines Suzuki's Gaige
Herrera has had a season
for the ages in 2023, but he was
in danger of losing his grasp on
the NHRA Camping World Pro
Stock Motorcycle championship
after a couple of tough outings
in Indianapolis and Reading. Her
-
rera appears to have righted the
ship with a convincing win at the
Betway NHRA Carolina Nation-
als at zMax Dragway, September
22-24.
Herrera ran his record on the
season to an impressive 34-4
in elimination rounds after a
final-round win against GETTRX
Buell's Hector Arana Jr., who
fouled at the start. With the win,
Herrera extended his lead in the
standings to 52 points over Matt
Smith.
"It was a good Sunday. We're
here, I've got the wallet so I
can't complain, and my bike was
consistent again today," Her
-
rera said. "Losing [at the last]
two races kind of lit a fire under
me. After Reading, I was kind
of pissed off because we really
couldn't pinpoint what happened
and that basically made me dig
down, me and Andrew [Hines,
crew chief] going over data
and trying to figure out what
happened. So, it really got me
involved in it, and the bike came
off the trailer here flying."
Herrera, who appeared un-
stoppable earlier in the season
with six wins in the first eight
races, seemed to recapture
some of that magic as he easily
made his way through the field,
including wins against world
champions Jerry Savoie and
Matt Smith, as well as rookie of
the year contender Chase Van
Sant. Each win was important,
but the victory over Smith was
easily the most gratifying and
the most important relative to
the championship battle.
Smith, winner of the last two
WIND
IN THE
P58
Gaige Herrera got
back to winning at the
Betway NHRA Carolina
Nationals at zMax
Dragway.
PHOTOS:
MATT POLITO
