Rivalry Renewed: Herrera Tops Smith at
Route 66 NHRA
I
n the latest battle between rival
teams, RevZilla/Vance & Hines
Suzuki's Gaige Herrera topped
Denso Buell's Matt Smith in the
final of the Gerber Collision &
Glass Route 66 Nationals in
Joliet, Illinois, May 16-18.
Smith won the most recent
round in Charlotte, but this time
it was Herrera who gained the
advantage off the starting line
and held the lead to win with
a 6.777-second elapsed time,
while Smith was not far behind
with a 6.805. Herrera has now
won 23 events since the start
of the 2023 season, and he's an
impressive 6-1 against Smith in
NHRA final rounds. Herrera is
also unbeaten in three appear
-
ances at Route 66 Raceway.
"We played a few games on
the starting line, but that's just
us," Herrera said. "He's good on
the [Christmas Tree]. His dad is
'Tricky Rickie' Smith, and Matt
is just like him. We're out here
trying to make the class fun, and
that's why we play a few mind
games. This time, I came out
on top, and I can't thank Drew
[Hines, crew chief] enough. This
ain't too bad for a rental bike."
Herrera's Vance & Hines team
made a bold move when they
parked his Suzuki in favor of an
older chassis currently available
as a rental bike. This decision
aimed to showcase the poten
-
tial of the Vance & Hines rental
program and demonstrate that
Herrera can overcome almost
any obstacle.
The plan worked perfectly, as
Herrera qualified in the number-
one spot with a 6.717 run and
then advanced through Sunday's
final eliminations with victories
against John Hall, Chris Bostick
and Smith. The win also enabled
Herrera to regain the lead in
WIND
IN THE
P36
Gaige Herrera
topped the
NHRA Pro Stock
Motorcycle class at
Route 66.
PHOTOS:
MATT POLITO
