Gadson's Title Defense Begins
With a Gainesville Win
R
evZilla/Vance & Hines Su-
zuki's Richard Gadson won
his first race in 2025 and carried
that momentum throughout the
season, where he finished with
four wins and the NHRA Mission
Foods Drag Racing Series Pro
Stock Motorcycle Championship.
A long off-season has appar
-
ently done nothing to affect that
momentum, as Gadson kicked
off 2026 with another win at the
Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatorna-
tionals at Gainesville Raceway.
Carrying the number one plate
for the first time, Gadson rode
his Suzuki to a 6.753 at just over
200 mph to claim the win over
John Hall, who wasn't far behind
on his Matt Smith Racing Buell
V-twin. Gadson aided his cause
with a sharp 0.018 reaction time,
getting off the starting line well
ahead of Hall.
"I'd say this is a pretty re
-
sounding statement to open the
season," Gadson said. "You know,
I like to say it was a long winter.
The way last season ended [not
racing in Pomona], I had my own
kind of issues with that. I got
the trophy and the check, but it
wasn't exactly what I envisioned.
Anyway, we won't go down that
road, but I kind of still felt like I
had something to prove.
"Matt Hines [team member]
told me before we left the shop,
he said, 'Don't race like you're the
World Champion. Race the same
way that got you the champion
-
ship. Don't let up.' So, that was
what I did, and it worked out for
me this weekend. I think I made
eight passes within a couple of
hundredths of a second, and I
think every [reaction time] was
between 0.009 and 0.021. We
were on repeat. That's just the
kind of weekend it was."
Gadson's biggest accom
-
plishment may well have been
to avoid the upsets that befell
many of the other pre-race
favorites. For example, Denso
Buell's Angie Smith was the low
qualifier with a great 6.748, but
WIND
IN THE
P38
RevZilla/Vance & Hines
Suzuki's Richard Gadson
celebrates winning the
first NHRA Pro Stock
Motorcycle race of the year
in Gainesville, Florida.
