The NHRA and Pro Stock Motorcycle seem to have a new superstar making a quick splash on his shiny new ride!
After only 2 races, and two victories for Gaige Herrera, who is quickly paying dividends to the Vance & Hines team that hired him this off-season. After dominating the season-opening Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals, Herrera remained unbeaten with a second victory at the Circle K Four-Wide Nationals.
Herrera rode the Mission Foods Suzuki to a holding off a quad that included world champions Eddie Krawiec and Matt Smith, was well as veteran Steve Johnson, who also happened to be the top four qualifiers for the event.
Herrera had the quickest reaction time of the final quad with a .013, and that spelled bad news for the rest of the field as he finished the job with a 6.710, the best run of the event. Smith finished second with a 6.784, just ahead of Krawiec’s 6.784.
“This is an unbelievable start to the season going back to back,” said Herrera. “This is special having my grandparents and my dad here. The whole Mission Foods Vance & Hines team is working their butts off and it shows. I’m on cloud 9 right now. When I got this deal, we talked about hopefully winning a few rounds and being a presence in the points but I don’t think I expected my to win back-to-back. It’s a lot to take in. I’ve run for thousands of dollars in grudge races, but this is a whole different level of pressure.”
“In the semi’s we had the kill switch come out when I put it in high gear,” said Herrera. “My head hit the windscreen and I pulled in the clutch and I thought I was done for. I just hoped for the best and it worked out.
Herrera qualified in the No. 1 spot for the second straight event and easily won the first quad. His only hiccup came in the semifinal round when the kill switch in his Suzuki Hayabusa malfunctioned. Herrera slowed to a 6.857 at just 170 mph, but carried enough momentum to win the quad. Herrera is now a perfect 7-0 in round wins this season.
With the victory, Herrera advanced in the standing's with his second victory of the season for the Racing Pro Media (RPM) Wally Winner Belt which will be given at the end of the season to the driver who has the best win % of all drivers racing a full schedule in the 4 Camping World classes.
Next up is the Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, Ill May 19-21, 2023.
Tickets for the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance are on sale now at NHRA.com/tickets. For more information about NHRA, visit www.NHRA.com.
See a full recap of the event by NHRA National Dragster staff:
Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals Sunday photo gallery:
Content: NHRA
Photo's: NHRA | Racing Pro Media (RPM)
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