ENNIS, Texas–Gaige Herrera wins the Pro Stock Motorcycle national division race at Texas Motorplex, becoming the fastest to earn 20 wins at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series level.
Herrera chose the right lane with Matt Smith before Smith had a transmission issue down the lane. Herrera crossed the line in 6.816 seconds at 200.56 mph.
“Matt would have had me if he didn’t miss a shift or something happened with his bike, so luck was definitely on my side and I’d rather be lucky than good any day,” said Herrera after winning the Texas NHRA FallNationals.
The final round matchup saw both the top two in the championship standings. With two races remaining now, Herrera finds himself with a slightly larger point gap heading into Las Vegas. Entering Dallas, he held a 34-point split above second and now unofficially has a 62-mark cushion over Smith.
And to be able to step up and perform when it matters most, even Herrera couldn’t hold back with his fist pump after crossing the line as a winner.
“I feel like each round and win means so much more at this time and I’m definitely kind of just showing my real side and not holding it in,” Herrera chuckled. “I definitely stole this one. This one was not mine to win by no means and that just makes it even that much better.”
Amid all the excitement and celebration, Herrera remains humble. A simple mistake or unfortunate circumstance can easily and quickly flip the championship standings, especially in the season finale of Pomona where points earned are increased by 50%.
“The biggest thing I focus on is the here and now,” he nodded. “You can’t really predict what’s going to happen. You just got to go out there and do what you got to do and it’s going to turn out how it’s going to be. That’s my biggest model [I got] from my mom growing up is it is what it is. You can’t change how it’s going to play out.”
In a way, Herrera is right. The record book has already been written. Fans will have to wait one more month to see what it reads.
Round 19 of the 2024 NHRA season heads to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Ford Performance Nationals starting Friday, November 1. Qualifying and races will air on tape delay on FS1 on Sunday, November 3 starting at 12:00 p.m. local time.