| May 23, 2023
It’s often been said that championships are won in the winter months and that might well be the case for the Vance & Hines NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle team when they made the decision to add rising star Gaige Herrera to their team last November.
By Kevin McKenna | Photos by Matt Polito
Herrera made his NHRA debut last season and competed in six events. His early results may not have been overly impressive, but his riding ability and attitude was, and that was enough to catch the eye of team owners Terry Vance and Byron Hines. Fast forward six months and Herrera is the hottest racer in drag racing, having won his first three starts, including the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, Illinois, May 19-21.
Once again, Herrera ran the table by qualifying in the number-one spot, and he remained unbeaten on the season when he defeated veteran Chip Ellis in the final round. Herrera’s 6.71 elapsed time easily covered the 6.79 of Ellis, with both riders topping 200-mph.
“All day, my bike has been a bracket bike,” Herrera said. “It was on point all weekend, and it means a lot to win here [at Route 66 Raceway] with friends and family out here with me. That’s one thing you don’t forget. I have a really good team behind me, and this goes out to all of them.”
Herrera wasn’t seriously challenged in any round as he handily defeated Ron Tornow, Marc Ingwersen and his teammate, Eddie Krawiec, on his way to career victory number three. Krawiec was able to put up a decent fight with a 6.77 on his Mission Foods Suzuki, but Herrera responded with a 6.70.
“Getting to race Eddie in the third round was definitely a tough one, and then in the final with Chip; I grew up looking up to Chip Ellis,” Herrera said. “That was definitely a really special one to me. I’ve said all year, I’m living the dream. I really am.”
On Saturday, Herrera got a chance to compete in the Mission Foods 2Fast2Tasty Challenge, a special event that brings back the four semifinal finishers from the previous event for a rematch with additional points and money on the line. Not surprisingly, Herrera also won that event, defeating rookie Chase Van Sant in the final round with a 6.672, the quickest run of the weekend.
“This race means a lot, obviously,” Herrera said. “Mission is a big sponsor for us, and for Mission to put this on and to be part of it is just a big deal alone but to be able to get the win means a lot to the whole team.
“We knew the conditions were there [to qualify number one]. I was more worried about the wind. We were all concerned about the wind because it was coming and going across the bleachers. I didn’t think I was going to go faster than my Q1 and Q2 passes because I was all over the bike. It was going left, it was going right, so for it to be able to run 6.67 I was definitely surprised. But Andrew [Hines, crew chief] has got this thing on rails and it’s the baddest bike out here. It’s showing. They’re flexing their horsepower, for sure.”
For those keeping score, Herrera is now a perfect 13-0 this season, including the Mission specialty event, and he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. There are six events remaining before the start of the Countdown to the Championship playoffs and Herrera has already built a very comfortable 169-point lead over second-ranked Krawiec while reigning champ Matt Smith is 175 points out of the lead.
Ellis has raced sporadically over the past few seasons, but he couldn’t pass up a chance to claim his first win since 2016 when Smith offered him a ride on his Buell V-twin in Joliet. Showing no signs of rust, Ellis went to the final with wins against Chris Bostick, Chase Van Sant and Hector Arana Jr.
VIDEO | Gaige Hererra rockets to both ends of Route 66 Raceway Track Record
Gaige Hererra
2023 NHRA PSM Glass Route 66 Nationals Chicago Results
#2Fast2Tasty Pro Stock Motorcycle Challenge
Round One: Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.807, 199.17 def. Angie Smith, 6.832, 197.25; Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.677, 200.77 def. Jianna Evaristo, Suzuki, 12.222, 62.92;
Final: G. Herrera, 6.672, 200.32 def. C. Van Sant, 6.785, 199.29.
Pro Stock Motorcycle Final: Herrera, 6.717, 201.25 def. Ellis, 6.791, 200.26.
Pro Stock Motorcycle Point Standings:1. Gaige Herrera, 382; 2. Eddie Krawiec, 213; 3. Matt Smith, 207; 4. Chase Van Sant, 170; 5. Hector Arana Jr, 164; 6. Joey Gladstone, 162; 7. Angie Smith, 159; 8. Steve Johnson, 149; 9. Jianna Evaristo, 137; 10. Chip Ellis, 135.
The next event for the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle class will be the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee, June 9-11.
Click here to read the 2023 NHRA PSM Chicago Results story in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.
Click here for all the latest Drag Racing news.