Herrera Sets NHRA Record
With 11th Win Of 2023
C
oming into the season-
ending In-N-Out Burger NHRA
Finals, November 10-12, it was a
foregone conclusion that Vance
& Hines/Mission Foods Suzuki's
Gaige Herrera was going to win
the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle
title. All Herrera needed to do
was qualify for the 216-bike field
in order to make it official, but
he had far more ambitious plans
and fulfilled them by winning his
11th event of the season.
Herrera came to Pomona tied
with three-time world champion
Matt Hines for the season record
with 10 wins and took sole pos
-
session of the record by beating
teammate Eddie Krawiec in the
final round.
Herrera rode to a 6.721
elapsed time at 201.46 mph to
seal the win and end his record
season on a high note.
"This is very surreal. The
whole championship thing, I
have to give it up to the whole
team, it's not only my cham
-
pionship, it's theirs, especially
Andrew (Hines, crew chief),"
Herrera said. "He works his butt
off day and night to make sure
my bike, Ed's bike, all the Vance
& Hines bikes are fast. He texted
me during the week, and he's
like, 'I'm ready to go to Pomona
and just get this thing done. We
had an incredible season, and
I'm very excited.' Just to have
someone like Andrew Hines text
me and say it was one of his
best seasons ever, even though
he's not riding the bike, it's very
cool to get that text message
from someone like him.
"I can't put this season into
words. I don't think it's set in
what's been accomplished this
year, and I think it's only the be
-
ginning. I didn't expect it to end
like this this weekend."
WIND
IN THE
P28
Gaige Herrera finished
off the 2023 NHRA
Pro Stock Motorcycle
Championship with his
record-setting 11th win.
PHOTOS: MATT POLITO
