Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals
Pacific Raceways
July 18-20, 2025

Gaige Herrera Wins at Pacific Raceways

Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera continues to rack up NHRA records, becoming the quickest competitor to reach 25 career wins in NHRA history after going a track-record 6.690 at 201.55 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki to defeat Richard Gadson. Herrera reached the milestone victory in just his 43rd career start as the two-time world champion continues to rack up wins at a record and historic rate.

It’s also his fourth win this season and Herrera’s second at Pacific Raceways, knocking off defending event winner Chase Van Sant and Matt Smith to reach the final round. Herrera was in the 6.70s all weekend, but the team dialed up something big in the final round against Gadson, producing the first-ever Pro Stock Motorcycle run in the 6.60s at Pacific Raceways. Herrera was a stout .010 on the starting line and then rode his way to a 25th career win.

“I never would imagine getting to 25 (wins) this quick,” Herrera said. “I’m living the dream. I’m very blessed as far as that. To get 25 wins, I mean, it still feels like my first. Every time I get a win, it’s just one of those things. You never lose the excitement. You always drive and push yourself to get the Wally, because everyone wants to get the Wally.

“It’s honestly hard to keep track of that stuff. It’s been a lot to take in in a short time for me personally. I can’t do without, the whole band, the Vance & Hines team and my crew chief Andrew [Hines] and it was nice to have an all-Vance & Hines final. Plus, I kind of got redemption from last year here. I had the 11 consecutive race wins and then Chase [Van Sant] beat us in the final, so I had a goal coming here to get the win here.”

Gadson reached the final round for the fourth time this season with wins against Angie Smith and Chris Bostick. Herrera will take a 138-point lead to Sonoma, where the class will also take part in the GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout.

ROUND 1

W – Richard Gadson / 0.015 / 6.748 / 199.17
L – Angie Smith / 0.045 / 6.745 / 199.14

W – Chris Bostick / 0.048 / 7.154 / 145.66
L – John Hall / -0.024 / 6.728 / 197.45

W – Matt Smith / 0.063 / 6.722 / 202.7
L – Jianna Evaristo / 0.086 / 6.742 / 201.70

W – Gaige Herrera / 0.038 / 6.767 / 201.04
L – Chase Van Sant / 0.051 / 6.803 / 198.23

SEMI-FINAL

W – Richard Gadson / 0.039 / 6.770 / 198.99
L – Chris Bostick / 0.417 / — / —

W – Gaige Herrera / 0.004 / 6.761 / 201.37
L – Matt Smith / 0.045 / 6.721 / 202.39

FINAL

W – Gaige Herrera / 0.01 / 6.69 / 201.55
RU – Richard Gadson / 0.036 / 6.743 / 200.32

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns July 25-27 with the 37th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals presented by PowerEdge at Sonoma Raceway.

Qualifying – Saturday

Pro Stock Motorcycle’s John Hall continues to be on a terrific run, wrapping up his first career No. 1 qualifier and picking up his first win in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge by defeating Matt Smith with a run of 6.729 at 200.26 on his American Rebel Beer/Matt Smith Racing Buell on Friday at Pacific Raceways.

ROUND 1
W – John Hall / 0.015 / 6.727 / 201.61
L – Gaige Herrera / 0.056 / 6.735 / 200.2

W – Matt Smith / 0.038 / 6.736 / 202.15
L – Richard Gadson / 0.02 / 6.761 / 200.5

FINAL
W – John Hall / 0.079 / 6.729 / 200.26
RU – Matt Smith / 0.038 / 6.85 / 180.94

 

Hall’s first victory in 12 years came just weeks ago in Norwalk and he’s followed with a pair of outstanding days in Seattle. He’ll open eliminations from the top spot, as Friday’s run of 6.717 at 201.76 held up, looking to continue what’s been the best run of the veteran’s career.

“Everything I’ve accomplished in the last three weeks has been amazing and it’s great to get a No. 1,” Hall said. “I’ll take whatever I can get and I love it. It’s great being on top, but you’ve got to enjoy it while you’re there, because in drag racing, you could be on the bottom really quick.

“Qualifying No. 1 is always your goal when you get to the racetrack, but I never really thought about it.”

Gaige Herrera qualified second with a 6.721 at 201.76 and Matt Smith took third with a 6.733 at 201.88.

1. John Hall, Beull, 6.717, 201.76 vs.
8. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.854, 195.93

2. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.721, 201.40 vs.
7. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.812, 198.70

3. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.733, 202.21 vs.
6. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.772, 200.77

4. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.735, 200.50 vs.
5. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.752, 200.53

Eliminations for the Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals begin at 10:30 a.m. PT on Sunday at Pacific Raceways.

Qualifying – Friday

Fresh off his victory in Norwalk, John Hall is on the verge of a massive moment in his Pro Stock Motorcycle career after going a career-best 6.717 at 201.76 on his American Rebel Beer Buell on Friday at Pacific Raceways. Should that hold, the veteran would earn his first career No. 1 qualifier, just weeks after getting his first victory in 12 years with his triumph in Norwalk.

On Friday, the run was good enough to win the $1,500 and the Deecell “After Low Qualifier” award, which was certainly good enough for the first day of racing for Hall. He posted a pair of strong runs as he looks to keep rolling after his huge victory last month.

“I could have probably gone close to that in the first round, but I screwed up, so we knew it had power, we knew it was fast, and I just went out there and did it,” Hall said. “I knew the air was good. I knew the tune-up was going to be good. I think I got every bit of it on that run.

“Matt and Angie [Smith] have done a lot of work and a lot of research. This bike just wasn’t running in the beginning of the season. They couldn’t figure out why. They spent a lot of time and money and effort to get this bike to where it is, and now it’s fast, obviously.”

Gaige Herrera is currently second after going 6.721 at 201.76 and Matt Smith’s 6.733 at 201.88 has him third.

01 John Hall / 6.717 / 201.76
02 Gaige Herrera / 6.721 / 201.07
03 Matt Smith / 6.733 / 201.88
04 Richard Gadson / 6.735 / 199.73
05 Jianna Evaristo / 6.774 / 197.8
06 Angie Smith / 6.789 / 200.29
07 Chase Van Sant / 6.846 / 197.94
08 Chris Bostick / 6.854 / 194.27

Qualifying continues at 12:30 p.m. PT on Saturday at the Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways.

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About Mission Foods
MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world’s leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries, MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit https://www.missionfoods.com/

About NHRA
NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X, Pingel Top Fuel Motorcycle and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 110 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

 

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