It's Gaige, Again, In Indiana
I
t was mostly a foregone con-
clusion coming in, but RevZilla/
Vance & Hines Suzuki's Gaige
Herrera was crowned the NHRA
regular season champion in the
Pro Stock Motorcycle class after
winning his fifth event of the
season at the Cornwell Tools
U.S. Nationals, the biggest event
in drag racing.
Herrera was clutch when it
counted, using an incredible
0.003 reaction time in the final
round to defeat Vance & Hines
teammate Brayden Davis on
a holeshot. Herrera's 6.834
elapsed time held off the quicker
6.799 of Davis, who was appear
-
ing in his first final round in just
his fourth start in the series.
The victory, the 26th of Her-
rera's career, capped off another
picture-perfect weekend for the
back-to-back World Champion,
who qualified number one and
set the Lucas Oil Indianapolis
Raceway Park track E.T. record
twice in qualifying. Earlier this
summer, there were moments
when Herrera may have seemed
vulnerable, but he was able to
regain his form at Indy, defeat
-
ing Chris Bostick, Angie Smith
and Matt Smith to reach the final
round for the 30th time in 45
events, a pace no other NHRA
pro can match.
"It's very exciting, you know,
especially to get a holeshot win
like that," Herrera said. "To get
back-to-back wins here in the
U.S. Nationals is very special to
me, and it was crazy. I mean, I al
-
most was in the sand [at the end
of the track] because I was so
excited and cheering that I didn't
get on the brakes enough."
Herrera also spoke of the
pressures of competing at Indy,
which has been NHRA's flagship
event since 1961.
"I have a strong, level head on
my shoulders, and I must thank
my parents for that," Herrera
WIND
IN THE
P60
RevZilla/Vance
& Hines Suzuki's
Gaige Herrera took
a holeshot win at
the U.S. National in
Indiana, narrowly
defeating Brayden
Davis in the Pro Stock
Motorcycle final.
