Gaige Herrera Claims Third NHRA Win
L
osing one race is rare enough
for RevZilla/Vance & Hines
Suzuki's Gaige Herrera, so losing
two in a row is almost unheard
of, so no one should have been
surprised when the reigning and
two-time NHRA Pro Stock Motor
-
cycle World Champion rallied to
win at Virginia Motorsports Park,
June 20-22.
Coming off a final-round loss
to teammate Richard Gadson
at the most recent NHRA round
in Bristol, Tennessee, Herrera
quickly bounced back to score
a narrow victory against Denso
Buell's Angie Smith in the Rich
-
mond final. Herrera success-
fully defended his 2024 Virginia
Motorsports Park win with a run
of 6.826 at 198.79 mph in the
final round. Smith won the race,
but just barely, as Smith left the
starting line first and came up
just four-thousandths of a sec
-
ond short at the finish line with a
6.853 at 196.76.
The win was Herrera's third
of the season and 24th in his
career, with all of those com-
ing since he joined the Vance &
Hines team at the start of the
2023 season. It may also have
been one of his most challeng
-
ing races, as the temperature
consistently hovered in the high
90s, presenting a challenge for
both riders and crew chiefs.
"I almost fumbled there in the
final with my [reaction time],"
Herrera said. "A 150-degree
track temperature is just insane,
but NHRA did a phenomenal job,
and Andrew [Hines, crew chief]
had my bike consistent all day.
Angie had a fast bike, and I had
a little doubt when I looked over
before we got to 1000 feet and
I saw her and thought, 'This is
a little too close,' because the
Buells always have the mph. So,
when I looked over, I saw I was
actually pulling away from her
and that was a good feeling."
WIND
IN THE
P48
Gaige Herrera got back to his
winning ways in Virginia.
