72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals
Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park
September 2-7, 2026

Pro Stock Motorcycle

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, a dominant weekend for Matt Smith Racing finished in fitting fashion, as six-time world champion Matt Smith defeated his wife, Angie, in the final round with a run of 6.791 at 198.58 on his Denso Auto Parts Buell.

It marks Smith’s fourth career win at Indy and third since the 2022 campaign, as the longtime standout also won for the third time this season. After qualifying No. 1, Smith defeated Chris Bostick, Clayton Howey and reigning world champion Richard Gadson to set up a thrilling matchup with his wife.

Angie advanced to her third final round of the year thanks to round wins against Kelly Clontz, Geno Scali and Gaige Herrera, who had won two straight in Indy. She slowed to a 6.834 at 194.80 in the final round against her husband, as M. Smith earned his 45th career win. As the weekend proved, Smith and his entire team are peaking at a perfect time and he was thrilled to pick up a win on drag racing’s grandest stage.

“We wanted to come up here and win. We wanted to show how good we were and that we’re ready for this Countdown, and I think we put a point on that,” Smith said. “It’s awesome, man. You know, we worked really hard to get back here.

“We did a lot of testing since Norwalk. We did a lot of tests in Rockingham in these hot, humid conditions. We spent two days down there, just nonstop in 100-degree temperatures, and we learned a lot. We learned stuff with the clutches and it made us better for here because I was consistent.”

Gadson claimed the regular season world champion by advancing to the semifinal round, winning the $15,000 prize and taking the points lead into the Countdown to the Championship, where he will try to win back-to-back world titles.

Eliminations Round 1

W – Clayton Howey – 0.008 / 6.857 / 195.42

L – Steve Johnson – 0.028 / 6.878 / 194.16

Howey is 1 – 0 against Johnson in prior events. There are 8 current or former Indy PSM champions racing here this weekend. Clayton Howey is 4 – 1 in Rd. 1 this year. Steve Johnson’s 1st race here was in 1987 and he is 1 of 2 Pro racers who qualified here that year and this year (K. Delco). Howey gets a great light and starts pulling away. Johnson make up a little ground after the 330 foot mark but Howey hangs on and takes the win.

W – Angie Smith – 0.064 / 6.78 / 198.99

L – Kelly Clontz – 0.122 / 6.895 / 196.02

Smith is 2 – 0 against Clontz in prior events. Angie Smith is 121 – 118 in her Rd. 1 races (7 – 0 this year). Kelly Clontz is making her 6th start at this race. Smith gets the advantage off of the line and goes down the groove with her quickest pass of the weekend to take the win.

W – Michael Ray – 0.07 / 6.809 / 198.5

L – Chase Van Sant – 0.027 / 6.869 / 195.34

This is the first time Ray and Van Sant have faced each other in eliminations. Chase Van Sant starts the day with an overall record of 49 – 48. This is Michael Ray’s 5th race since 2019. He is collecting points for Evaristo. Van Sant gets out of the gate first but Ray reels him in and goes around at the 1000 foot mark to take the win.

W – Geno Scali – 0.026 / 6.869 / 195.19

L – John Hall – 0.069 / 6.84 / 196.82

John Hall wins 75% of his Rd. 1 races when he has lane choice. Geno Scali is 83 – 79 in Rd. 1 races. Scali gets the holeshot and holds off Hall for the win with his quickest pass of the weekend. Angie Smith will have lane choice over Scali in the next round.

W – Ryan Oehler – 0.061 / 6.788 / 198.79

L – Malcolm Phillips Jr – 0.024 / 6.846 / 196.67

This is the first time Oehler and Phillips Jr. have faced each other in eliminations. Ryan Oehler is 3 – 4 in Rd. 1 this year. .Malcolm Phillips Jr. is making his 7th start overall and his 1st since this race last year. Phillips gets the advantage off of the line, is in front at half track, then Oehler is able to go around him and takes the win. Ryan

W – Richard Gadson – 0.206 / 7.073 / 196.5

L – Marc Ingwersen – -0.011 / 6.953 / 192.17

This is the first time Ingwersen and Gadson have faced each other in eliminations. Richard Gadson wins 97% of his Rd. 1 races when he has lane choice. .This is Marc Ingwersen’s 73rd start. Ingwersen is too quick off of the line and goes red giving the win to Gadson. Gadson gets a break as he makes his slowest pass of the weekend. Oehler will have lane choice over Gadson in the next round.

W – Matt Smith – 0.051 / 6.744 / 197.19

L – Chris Bostick – 0.014 / 6.959 / 188.75

Smith is 12 – 0 against Bostick in prior events. Matt Smith’s 44 wins are tied for 4th most in PSM (D. Schultz). He is 51 – 10 in Rd. 1 when #1. Chris And Matt Smith now has made 212 runs over 200 mph. That’s 24% of all the 200 mph PSM runs. Bostick gets the holeshot, stays in front to the 330 foot mark, then Smith goes around him and takes the win with the quickest pass of the weekend.

W – Gaige Herrera – 0.094 / 6.781 / 199.29

L – Hector Arana Jr – -0.073 / 6.948 / 193.6

Herrera is 5 – 1 against Arana Jr in prior events. Gaige Herrera’s 30 wins are tied for 7th most in PSM (M. Hines). He is 49 – 6 in Rd. Hector Arana Jr.’s 27 round wins here are the most for him at any event. Arana leaves too soon and goes red giving the win to Herrera. Herrera ties his quickest pass of the weekend in the win. Herrera will have lane choice over Ray in the next round.

Eliminations Round 2

W – Richard Gadson – 0.023 / 6.856 / 196.76

L – Ryan Oehler – 0.106 / 6.841 / 197.25

Gadson gets the holeshot but Oehler starts making up ground quickly. Oehler gets closer at every marker but Gadson hangs on and takes the win. With the win Gadson wins the regular season championship.

W – Angie Smith – 0.009 / 6.796 / 198.5

L – Geno Scali – 0.023 / 6.905 / 195.19

Smith is 4 – 1 against Scali in prior events. Smith gets a great light and extends his lead all the way through the run. Angie Smith’s incremental times: 60ft-1.074 sec., 330ft-2.847, 660ft-4.354/162.59 mph, 1,000ft-5.670.

W – Gaige Herrera – 0.047 / 6.809 / 197.83

L – Michael Ray – 0.066 / 6.886 / 196.93

Herrera gets the holeshot and pulls away for the win. Angie Smith will have lane choice over Herrera in the next round.

W – Matt Smith – 0.049 / 6.762 / 199.88

L – Clayton Howey – 0.001 / 6.863 / 194.94

Smith and Howey have each won 1 times against the other in prior events. Howey is almost perfect out of the gate but it isn’t enough. Smith reels him in just past half track and pulls away for the win. Matt Smith’s incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.046), 330 ft(-0.025), 660ft(-0.006), 1,000ft(0.022). MOV: 0.0534 seconds (approximately 15 feet). Matt Smith will have lane choice over Gadson in the next round.

Eliminations – Semi-Final

W – Angie Smith – 0.018 / 6.794 / 199.14

L – Gaige Herrera – 0.025 / 6.791 / 198.93

Smith gets the holeshot and holds off Herrera to take the holeshot win. Angie Smith’s incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.011), 330 ft(-0.002), 660ft(0.002), 1,000ft(0.002). MOV: 0.0046 seconds (approximately 16 inches). Angie Smith is going to her 14th final round.

W – Matt Smith – 0.013 / 6.773 / 200.26

L – Richard Gadson – 0.015 / 6.878 / 197.25

Smith is 5 – 3 against Gadson in prior events. Smith gets out of the gate first and extends his lead all the way through the run. This is Smith’s 89th career final round. Matt will take on his wife Angie in the final round. matt will have lane choice.

Eliminations – Final

W – Matt Smith – 0.052 / 6.791 / 198.58

RU – Angie Smith – 0.04 / 6.834 / 194.8

Matt Smith is 24 – 8 against Angie Smith in prior events and each has won 1 times against the other in final rounds. Angie gets the holeshot but Matt goes around her just past the 330 foot mark and pulls away for the win. Matt Smith’s incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.009), 330 ft(-0.001), 660ft(0.007), 1,000ft(0.016). MOV: 0.0311 seconds (approximately 9 feet).

The NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs begin with the inaugural Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals presented by MOPAR, which takes place Sept. 18-20 at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park at Martin, Mich.

Sunday Qualifying

Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Matt Smith started qualifying in the No. 1 spot and finished there five sessions later, moving back into the top position to close out Sunday with a run of 6.757 at 200.98.

The six-time world champion earned his third No. 1 qualifier of the season and will open raceday at Indy against Chris Bostick. A three-time winner at Indy, Smith has a great opportunity to win again at The Big Go, and with the way the team has performed thus far, an all-Matt Smith Racing final round is the goal for Monday.

“You know, I’ve won this race three times. I’d like to get a fourth one,” Smith said. “If I can’t do it, then I want one of the other three bikes that we have on our camp to do it, and I think we have a really good shot at doing it. I mean, we have three bikes in the top eight.

“We came back in Q5 and put it all together. I made a little axle adjustment and it went right down the track and took the top spot. I’m totally confident with how we tested at Rockingham coming here with this kind of weather. I felt good. I’ve felt good all weekend. We’ve just got to turn on four win lights tomorrow.”

Gaige Herrera took second with a 6.781 at 198.79 and Angie Smith qualified third after going 6.787 at 198.50.

1. Matt Smith / 6.757 / 200.98
2. Gaige Herrera / 6.781 / 198.79
3. Angie Smith / 6.787 / 198.50
4. Richard Gadson / 6.818 / 197.86
5. Ryan Oehler / 6.825 / 197.57
6. John Hall / 6.830 / 198.03
7. Chase Van Sant / 6.861 / 196.67
8. Clayton Howey / 6.865 / 194.77
9. Steve Johnson / 6.876 / 194.30
10. Michael Ray / 6.893 / 196.67
11. Geno Scali / 6.925 / 195.65
12. Malcolm Phillips Jr. / 6.925 / 195.08
13. Marc Ingwersen / 6.928 / 193.54
14. Kelly Clontz / 6.933 / 195.45
15. Hector Arana Jr / 6.967 / 194.04
16. Chris Bostick / 6.982 / 193.24
Did Not Qualify:
17. Wesley Wells / 7.085 / 187.60
18. Hector Arana / 7.091 / 192.17
19. Mark Paquette / 7.158 / 179.83

Saturday Qualifying

Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera and Richard Gadson dueled in the final of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, with Herrera clinching victory – and the season title – when Gadson went red by .002. Herrera would have been tough to beat, going to No. 1 as well with a standout run of 6.842 at 196.50 on his RevZilla/Vance & Hines Suzuki.

It could be the start of a big weekend for Herrera, who is after his third straight Indy victory as well, which is something only Dave Schultz has done in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE CHALLENGE

ROUND ONE

W – Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.858, 196.99
L – Angie Smith, Buell, 6.910, 195.39

W – Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.875, 195.99
L – Matt Smith, Buell, Foul – Red Light

FINAL

W – Gaige Herrera, 6.842, 196.50
RU – Richard Gadson, Foul – Red Light

“This was kind of how I saw it playing out that one of us was going to possibly go red,” Herrera said. “I mean, that’s how it’s been with us. I feel like we’re both going to lay it all out there. I won’t lie. I went up there and squeezed my [clutch] lever a little extra tighter than normal to make sure I wasn’t the one to go red. We go out there to cut each other’s head off and it’s live or die by the sword.

“I’m also very happy to get this Mission [2Fast2Tasty overall win. This is a great deal and it makes it a lot more fun to race on Saturdays.”

1. Gaige Herrera / 6.842 / 196.50
2. Matt Smith / 6.858 / 199.26
3. Richard Gadson / 6.875 / 195.99
4. Clayton Howey / 6.886 / 194.35
5. Angie Smith / 6.905 / 196.64
6. John Hall / 6.910 / 195.65
7. Ryan Oehler / 6.927 / 193.18
8. Kelly Clontz / 6.947 / 193.38
9. Chase Van Sant / 6.954 / 195.82
10. Hector Arana Jr / 6.967 / 194.04
11. Malcolm Phillips Jr. / 6.976 / 192.08
12. Marc Ingwersen / 6.983 / 192.63
13. Chris Bostick / 6.994 / 190.73
14. Geno Scali / 7.002 / 194.27
15. Wesley Wells / 7.085 / 187.42
16. Hector Arana / 7.091 / 192.06
Not Qualified:
17. Mark Paquette / 7.158 / 179.83
18. Steve Johnson / 7.822 / 167.88
19. Michael Ray / 10.841 / 72.94

Friday Qualifying

Pro Stock Motorcycle officially returned to the track for the first time since late June and Matt Smith Racing was ready, taking the top three spots to open the weekend, including a top run from Matt Smith, who delivered a run of 6.864 at 198.90 on his Denso Auto Parts Buell.

Eight riders took part in the GETTRX All-Star Callout in July, but the entire class hasn’t competed in more than two months. But the two-wheeled category will be at the final seven races, including this weekend at The Big Go and Smith is off to a great start as he seeks his third No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 62nd in his career. Currently fourth in points, Smith hopes a big finish to his year starts this weekend at the world’s biggest drag race.

“I thought it was pretty good. We went to Rockingham [Dragway] and made a bunch of test laps,” Smith said. “We spent two days down there in conditions just like this. It was hot and humid, and we dedicated ourselves to it because we knew it was probably going to be hot here.

“Sunday might be a little different, but right now I think we got a good little start. We had some time off and we worked really hard preparing motors and getting everybody’s stuff fresh for this race and for the Countdown.”

Smith’s wife, Angie, is currently second with a 6.905 at 196.64 and John Hall sits third after Friday with a 6.910 at 195.65.

1. Matt Smith / 6.864 / 198.90
2. Angie Smith / 6.905 / 196.64
3. John Hall / 6.910 / 195.65
4. Gaige Herrera / 6.926 / 195.70
5. Richard Gadson / 6.946 / 193.85
6. Kelly Clontz / 6.947 / 193.38
7. Clayton Howey / 6.973 / 194.66
8. Chris Bostick / 6.994 / 190.73
9. Marc Ingwersen / 7.004 / 190.86
10. Ryan Oehler / 7.060 / 194.38
11. Geno Scali / 7.061 / 192.63
12. Chase Van Sant / 7.069 / 194.07
13. Wesley Wells / 7.126 / 187.60
14. Mark Paquette / 7.222 / 173.36
15. Hector Arana / EBR,7.366 / 152.97
16. Hector Arana Jr / 9.971 / 85.54

Qualifying continues at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

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.

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/

NHRA: 2026 U.S. Nationals – Matt Smith Wins Pro Stock Motorcycle