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Herrera Collects His Second Win in Bristol R evZilla/Vance & Hines Suzuki's Gaige Herrera has practically owned the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle class for the last three seasons, so for the two-time World Champion to have just one win in the first five races of the 2026 season was a bit of a mystery. Herrera fixed that this week - end at the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee, where he turned in a vintage per- formance to claim his second win of the season and the 30th of his brilliant career. In the final round, Herrera took down his Vance & Hines teammate, Rich - ard Gadson, with a run of 6.838 seconds at 198.47 mph. The win was especially gratify- ing for Herrera since it came on the heels of a very rare round-one loss at the most recent NHRA event in Budds Creek, Maryland. "After Maryland, me and Andrew [Hines, crew chief] and I were beating our heads against the wall trying to figure out what happened," Herrera said. "It felt like we had some bad luck hang - ing over us, but it feels good to come here and get the win." The Maryland event clearly in his rearview mirror, Herrera's performance in Bristol is much closer to what fans have seen the last three years as he rolled to the number-one qualifier position and then ousted Joey Gladstone and Steve Johnson to WIND IN THE P42 reach the final round for the 34th time in just 56 career races, the best winning percentage of an NHRA pro in any category. In the final, Gadson left the starting line first with a stellar 0.018 reaction time, but Herrera chased him down to get things back on track. "I wouldn't say, 'I'm back,' but it definitely feels good to get the win and build some confidence heading into the next race in Norwalk [Ohio]. As we get closer and closer to the Countdown, I feel like my bike is back where it needs to be." Gadson went to his second straight final round at Bristol and the 13th in his career following wins over Wesley Wells, Chase Van Sant and Chris Bostick. He stays in the points lead, holding a 68-point advantage over Angie Smith, with Herrera in third. The Bristol race also featured an appearance by three-time National event winner Joey Glad - stone, who returned to the class as a replacement rider for six- time world champ Matt Smith, who is continuing to recover from a recent surgery. Gladstone quickly adapted to Smith's Den - so Buell and earned a key round win over teammate John Hall before dropping a close race against Gadson in round two. Gladston, who can earn points for Smith under NHRA's medical replacement policy, is expected to be on the bike for the next two events, with Smith scheduled to return at the U.S. Nationals in late August. The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action June 25-28 with the 20th annual Summit Racing Equip - ment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio. Kevin McKenna FINAL 1. Gaige Herrera (.033) 6.838-198.47 2. Richard Gadson (.018) 6.883- 196.36 After a first-round loss at the last race, Gaige Herrera returned with a vengeance and won in Bristol.