Gaige Herrera Sets Sights On Second Consecutive NHRA Championship
Gaige Herrera Sets Sights On Second Consecutive NHRA Championship
As the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season comes to a close at the 59th annual In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at legendary In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Gaige Herrera is on the brink of another crowning moment, as the young rider will attempt to claim his second consecutive world championship.
Herrera, rider of the RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki, has dominated the field for the past two seasons, winning 11 races a year ago en route to his first world title. With 10 event wins to his credit in 2024, he heads into the final race of the season with another commanding points lead, leading former champion Matt Smith by 123 points.
If Herrera keeps the margin above 120 points by the end of qualifying, he will clinch a championship on Saturday, much like he did a year ago. As sweet as that first title was, a second championship would be just as special for Herrera.
“If I’m able to win the second championship, I think this one will mean a lot more,” Herrera said. “I had to earn it a lot more this season. Last season, I kind of ran away with it and came out of nowhere with Andrew (Hines, tuner). We just gelled so quick and we were dominating right away. This year was definitely a lot tighter racing. There wasn’t much room for error. It’s going to mean a lot more for me, showing that last year was a fluke or just a one-time thing. It’s pretty amazing, honestly.”
It is the last of six races in the Countdown to the Championship and after a slow start in the playoffs, Herrera has come on strong, winning the past three events.
Herrera is one of only four riders to have collected wins this season: 2023 Rookie of the Year Chase Van Sant won in his first career event in Seattle, Reading winner Hector Arana Jr. and six-time champion Smith who claimed victories in Sonoma and at the fall race in Charlotte.
Smith grabbed the points lead after the Charlotte playoff win, but Herrera, who boasts an incredible 47-4 round win record this season, bounced back with wins in St. Louis, Dallas and Las Vegas. He’s now won 21 races over the past two seasons with one race remaining, recording an other-worldly 97-8 record during that time. Now, Herrera hopes to finish off this run with another title in Pomona.
“It means a lot to have done what we have,” Herrera said. “We’ve won a lot of races in back-to-back years. I go home and I see all the Wally trophies and I remember just dreaming to be able to hold one and now I’ve got 21 of them. It’s insane and for us to do the same in back-to-back seasons, and to have 10 wins this year, it’s incredible and it just showcases (tuners, past champions) Andrew and Eddie Krawiec and all the guys back at the Vance & Hines shop. None of this is possible without them. I feel like these are more their wins than mine and I’m very thankful to be a part of it.”
Along with racing in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, fans can also see the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, while the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department will hold a special racing exhibition.
Fans are invited to the Nitro Alley Stage in the pits, where they can take part in Nitro School, meet and greets, influencer interviews and much more. Pomona race fans can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies that celebrate each of the drivers racing for the prestigious Wally on Sunday and includes the SealMaster Track Walk. The final can’t-miss experience of any NHRA event is the winner’s circle celebration on Sunday, where fans are invited to congratulate the world champions and event winners.
As always, fans get a pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. They can see their favorite teams in action and servicing their hot rods between rounds, get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers and more. They can also visit NHRA’s Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create an exciting atmosphere that includes displays, merchandise, food, and fun.
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series will feature two qualifying rounds at 1 and 3:30 p.m. PT on Friday, Nov. 15, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. PT on Sunday, Nov. 17. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday and then live eliminations on FS1 at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday.
To purchase tickets to the 59th annual In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. All children 12 and under will be admitted free in the general admission area with a paid adult.
ABOUT NHRA
The National Hot Rod Association, the largest auto racing organization in the world, has come a long way since Wally Parks founded it in 1951.
Though it has grown into a global sports-entertainment business, NHRA has not lost sight of Parks’ original goal: to provide competitors a place to race. But now those places are deluxe supertracks in major U.S. markets, and the racing runs the gamut from 11,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragsters to 5-horsepower Jr. Dragsters. Drag racing’s journey through the decades has been sometimes swift, sometimes rocky, but always exciting and always worth the trip.
In the 1950s, top performance marks were 140 mph in 9 seconds. Today, they’re more than 330 mph in less than 3.7 seconds. Back then, winners earned little more than a trophy and bragging rights. Today’s racers compete for trophies and bragging rights as well as a share of more than $3 million in prize money.
In 2024, NHRA joined forces with Mission Foods to present the world’s fastest motorsports attraction as the flagship sponsor of the national touring series, the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
Under the leadership of President Glen Cromwell, NHRA raced forward in 2020 with a number of key initiatives, including a multiyear partnership with FOX Sports to televise NHRA events from the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, and the Pro Mod Drag Racing Series. FOX Sports networks aired more than 500 hours of programming throughout the year, highlighted by 22 race-day shows, including eight on FOX’s national network, in addition to primetime Friday night qualifying shows, and fans are in for more of the same this year.
NHRA has extremely loyal fans that are committed to the sport they love, and it’s easy to see why. They continue to have the best access to the behind-the-scenes action of racing. NHRA’s open-pits policy allows fans to get an up-close-and personal view of how teams rebuild engines. Drivers are often found in their pit areas, signing autographs and chatting with fans, who have the rare opportunity to get behind the wheel themselves in a variety of racing simulators in the Nitro Alley Fan Zone. Those are just a few reasons NHRA fans continue to be some of the most loyal in any sport.
For more information, log on to NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
About Mission Foods
Great food is a great motivator. It brings everyone to the table and inspires us to explore all kinds of delicious destinations. At Mission®, it drives us to seek the freshest ingredients, simple recipes, diverse flavors and wholesome products that help us discover all the places our tortillas can go. There are better-for-you destinations like with our high protein, low carb, or gluten-free tortillas. Of course, tacos and nachos are favorite stops. We are always up for those. www.missionfoods.com
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