NHRA 2024 In-N-Out Burger Finals – Pro Stock Motorcycle
In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals
In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip
November 14-17, 2024
Pro Stock Motorcycle
Herrera rolls to second straight PSM Title
Another dominant season meant another world championship in Pro Stock Motorcycle for Gaige Herrera, who wrapped up his second straight world title after winning in the first round on Sunday.
Herrera entered eliminations with a commanding 119-point lead on the strength of three straight playoff wins and cruised to another championship to open raceday. Herrera, who qualified third, went 6.779 to dispatch Clayton Howey, leading to another memorable moment for the class phenom. It culminates another incredible season for the rider of the RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki, one that included 10 wins.
“This is very special,” Herrera said. “When I won the title in 2023, it didn’t seem real. It just sort of happened. That wasn’t the case this year. We had to go out and fight for it every weekend. When Matt [Smith] went back to a Buell we knew he’d be tough and I have to hand it to him for all his hard work. He also forced us to work harder.
In his second season, Herrera has made NHRA history by winning 21 out of 29 events. No NHRA pro in any class has ever delivered more victories in a shorter time frame.
This season, Herrera picked up where 2023 left off, winning the first six races of the season, setting the all-time NHRA record with 11 straight wins and 46 consecutive round wins. After defeats in Seattle and Sonoma, Herrera won the U.S. Nationals for the first time in his career and after a slow start in the Countdown to the Championship, Herrera returned to his dominant self to close out the championship. He’s now 50-5 this season and 100-8 over the last two years.
“I think the first round for the championship was the most nervous I’ve ever been,” Herrera said. “It’s what you dream about as a little kid, but win or lose, I still love this sport. At Indy two years ago I made my debut and at the time I thought it was a one race deal. Now, here we are two years and two championships later. I still can’t believe it.”
The 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series begins March 6-9 with the NHRA Gatornationals at legendary Gainesville Raceway.
Matt Smith Ends 2024 with a Win!
Matt Smith ended his year with a strong statement on his Denso Auto Parts/Matt Smith Racing Buell, defeating world champion Gaige Herrera in the final round with a run of 6.702 at 202.12. It is Smith’s second win this season and the 41st in his career, enabling the six-time world champion to finish second to Herrera for the first time in his career.
Smith, who also qualified No. 1, took down Aaron Pine, Marc Ingwersen and Steve Johnson to reach the final round, setting up another marquee matchup with Herrera. This time, Smith had enough to get past the two-time defending champion,
“We came in knowing we probably couldn’t get three hats, but we knew we could get two and we did,” said Smith, getting the No. 1 qualifier and winner’s hat. “We got the low qualifier hat and the winner’s hat, just not the champion’s hat. Still, we were able to put pressure on Gaige [Herrera]. He’s a deserving champ, and we just made too many mistakes.
“I love doing this, but I’ve thought about getting off and putting some young kid on the bike. I’m 52 and it’s hard to keep up but I still love it. Actually, our sponsor, Denso told me to stop talking about retirement. I still have a job, so I plan to come back and push hard to get that seventh championship next year. “
The 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series begins March 6-9 with the NHRA Gatornationals at legendary Gainesville Raceway.
ELIMINATIONS – ROUND 1
John Hall wins 74% of his Rd. 1 races when he has lane choice. Marc Ingwersen is 1 – 2 against Hall in the last 3 races. Hall and Ingwersen have each won 3 times against the other in prior events. Ingwersen with the starting line advantage and the power to hold on for the hole shot win.
L – Hector Arana Jr / 0.056 / 7.194 / 153.26
L – Lance Bonham / 0.397 / 7.158 / 186.56
L – Chris Bostick / 0.031 / 6.846 / 195.96
L – Jianna Evaristo / 0.143 / 6.838 / 199.94
Steve Johnson has won 2 rounds in the Countdown. He had won 1 round in the previous 9 races. Jianna Evaristo’s 12 round wins this year are the most for her in a single season.Evaristo is 6 – 5 against Johnson in prior events. Johnson with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win.
Richard Gadson is 12 – 2 in Rd. 1 this year. Ryan Oehler lost to Gadson in Rd. 1 at Indy.Oehler goes red to give Gadson the win. He will have lane choice over Johnson in the next round.
L – Aaron Pine / 0.048 / 7.247 / 189.23
Gaige Herrera has won 29 straight Rd. 1 races. Clayton Howey is making his 3rd start.This is the first time Howey and Herrera have faced each other in eliminations. Howey with a great light, but Herrera has the lead as they go by the christmas tree and never trailed form there on for the win.
ELIMINATIONS – ROUND 2
L – Richard Gadson / 0.022 / 6.873 / 197.02
Gadson is 2 – 0 against Johnson in prior events. They have identical reaction times, but then it is all Johnson for the win.
L – Geno Scali / 0.023 / 6.932 / 195.17
L – Marc Ingwersen / 0.011 / 6.850 / 196.13
SEMI-FINAL
L – Angie Smith / 0.063 / 6.762 / 201.31
Herrera is 7 – 2 against Smith in prior events. Herrera with the starting line advantage and the power to hold on for the hole shot win. Gaige Herrera’s MOV: 0.0187 seconds (approximately 6 feet).
L – Steve Johnson / 0.001 / 6.78 / 196.42
FINALS
L – Gaige Herrera / 0.025 / 6.722 / 201.91
The #1 PSM qualifier has won this race 14 times in 17 Final rounds (but only twice in the last 4 years). Herrera is 7 – 1 against Smith in prior events and Herrera is 4 – 0 against Smith in prior final rounds. Herrera with a tick advantage on the tree, but Smith has the lead by 330 feet and never trailed from there on for the win. Matt Smith’s MOV: 0.0167 seconds (approximately 5 feet). Smith with the quickest pass of the event for the win. Herrera with his quickest pass of the event in the losing effort.
Pro Stock Motorcycle Points Standings
1. Gaige Herrera, 2,804
2. Matt Smith, 2,715
3. Richard Gadson, 2,511
4. Angie Smith, 2,481
5. Hector Arana Jr, 2,473
6. Chase Van Sant, 2,457
7. John Hall, 2,341
8. Jianna Evaristo, 2,331
9. Steve Johnson, 2,328
10. Chris Bostick, 2,209
Qualifying – Saturday
Matt Smith kept Gaige Herrera from his second straight championship on Saturday, securing enough qualifying bonus – as well as the No. 1 spot – to extend the championship race into Sunday. He qualified in the top spot for the sixth time this year, going 6.721 at 202.64 on his Denso Auto Parts/Matt Smith Racing Buell. With that, he closed the gap to 119 points against Herrera, though Smith will need plenty of help to secure a seventh world championship on Sunday.
If Herrera knocks off Clayton Howey in the opening round of eliminations, Herrera will claim his second straight world title. Smith’s only path to a championship is if Herrera loses in the first round and Smith wins the race. If that doesn’t happen, Smith would at least like to end the year with a victory.
“We came here to try and get the win and we’re in a spot to do that,” Smith said. “We’re still alive [for the championship] but we made too many mistakes during the Countdown to battle Gaige [Herrera] for the championship.
“Funny, but I’m going to finish No. 2 in the championship and I’ve never been No. 2 in my career. I’ve either won the championship or been third or fourth or lower. It would be huge for us to win the race tomorrow or for Angie [Smith], John Hall or Jianna [Evaristo] to win it. I’d love to see one of them win it. It would be a great way to end the season.”
Angie Smith qualified second with a 6.758 at 201.43 and Herrera is third after going 6.765 at 201.22.
1. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.721, 202.64 vs.
16. Aaron Pine, Suzuki, 17.388, 72.97
2. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.758, 201.43 vs.
15. Lance Bonham, Buell, 7.248, 187.78
3. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.765, 201.22 vs.
14. Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 7.001, 193.30
4. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.767, 199.82 vs.
13. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.885, 196.82
5. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.771, 196.44 vs.
12. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.834, 202.09
6. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.783, 198.96 vs.
11. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.815, 198.29
7. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 6.788, 198.55 vs.
10. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.796, 199.14
8. John Hall, Beull, 6.792, 200.53 vs.
9. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.792, 197.62
Eliminations for the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals begin at 11 a.m. PT on Sunday at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
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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