HomeNews / Race ResultsNHRA New England Nationals - Gaige Herrera Wins Pro Stock Motorcycle

NHRA New England Nationals – Gaige Herrera Wins Pro Stock Motorcycle

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series
New England Nationals presented by bproauto
Bristol Dragway
June 12-14, 2026

Gaige Herrera Wins Pro Stock Motorcycle

Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera enjoyed a vintage performance on Sunday in Thunder Valley, becoming the first two-time winner in the category at Bristol by taking down his teammate Richard Gadson with a run of 6.838 at 198.47 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki.

It gives Herrera his second victory of the season and the 30th in his career and plenty of redemption after an ultra-rare first-round loss at the most recent Pro Stock Motorcycle race in Maryland.

That is clearly behind him, as Herrera rolled to the No. 1 qualifier and then ousted Joey Gladstone and Steve Johnson to reach the final round. Gadson left first with a stellar .018 reaction time, but Herrera chased him down to get things back on track for the two-time world champion.

“After Maryland, me and Andrew (Hines, crew chief) and I were beating our heads against the wall trying to figure out what happened. It felt like we had some bad luck hanging over us, but it feels good to come here and get the win,” Herrera said.

“I wouldn’t say, ‘I’m back,’ but it definitely feels good to get the win and build some confidence heading into Norwalk. As we get closer and closer to the Countdown, I feel like my bike is back where it needs to be. Winning with Richard in the final was pretty cool. It reminded me of last year when he got his first win. We’ve got a lot of fun with it, but I’m glad to be the one taking home the trophy this time.”

Gaige Hererra
Gaige Hererra

Gadson went to his second straight final round at Bristol and the 13th in his career following wins over Wesley Wells, Chase Van Sant and Chris Bostick. He stays in the points lead, holding a 68-point advantage over Angie Smith, with Herrera in third.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action June 25-28 with the 20th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

ELIMINATIONS – ROUND 1

W – Joey Gladstone – 0.022 / 6.894 / 196.53
L – John Hall – 0.056 / 6.957 / 196.7
W – Angie Smith – 0.069 / 6.904 / 196.3
L – Geno Scali – 0.006 / 7.133 / 193.13
W – Chase Van Sant – 0.006 / 6.97 / 195.68
L – Brayden Davis – -0.03 / 6.909 / 196.9
W – Chris Bostick – 0.009 / 6.934 / 194.55
L – Jianna Evaristo – 0.049 / 6.938 / 196.1
W – Kelly Clontz – 0.067 / 6.996 / 193.57
L – Ryan Oehler – -0.02 / 6.867 / 186
W – Steve Johnson – 0.008 / 6.969 / 191.05
L – Marc Ingwersen – 0.006 / 7.015 / 190.86
W – Richard Gadson – 0.055 / 6.846 / 196.82
L – Wesley Wells – -0.007 / 7.342 / 159.08
W – Gaige Herrera – 0.027 / 6.84 / 198.03
L – BYE

ELIMINATIONS – ROUND 2

W – Steve Johnson – 0.016 / 6.915 / 193.85
L – Kelly Clontz – 0.065 / 6.963 / 195.31
Weather conditions: air temperature 80 degrees, relative humidity 69 percent, barometer 29.87 inches, adjusted altitude 4,023 feet, track temperature 106 degrees. Johnson with the starting line advantage for the win.
W – Chris Bostick – 0.026 / 6.986 / 194.58
L – Angie Smith – -0.005 / 6.903 / 197.42
Smith is 7 – 2 against Bostick in prior events. Smith goes red to give Bostick the win.
W – Richard Gadson – 0.025 / 6.851 / 197.45
L – Chase Van Sant – 0.027 / 7.616 / 134.75
Gadson is 7 – 5 against Van Sant in prior events. Gadson with a couple ticks on the tree and never trailed for the win. He will have lane choice over Bostick in the semifinal. Van Sant pulled in the clutch.
W – Gaige Herrera – 0.017 / 6.804 / 198.67
L – Joey Gladstone – 0.054 / 6.908 / 196.82
Herrera is 2 – 0 against Gladstone in prior events. Herrera with the starting line advantage for the win. He makes the quickest pass of the event for the win. He will have lane choice over Johnson in the semifinal.

ELIMINATIONS – SEMI-FINAL

W – Richard Gadson – 0.018 / 6.891 / 195.96
L – Chris Bostick – 0.003 / 15.822 / 47.56
Gadson is 5 – 0 against Bostick in prior events. Bostick with a great light, but has problems and pulls the clutch back in. Gadson with another good clean pass for the win. He is advancing to his fourth final this season and 13th of his career.
W – Gaige Herrera 0.031 / 6.985 / 173.43
L – Steve Johnson 0.059 / 9.452 / 91.47
Herrera is 5 – 1 against Johnson in prior events. Herrera with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. He clicked it early as the bike was making a move toward the centerline. He will give up lane choice to Gadson in the final. Herrera is advancing to his second final this season 34th career final round.

ELIMINATIONS – FINAL

W – Gaige Herrera – 0.033 / 6.838 / 198.47
RU – Richard Gadson – 0.018 / 6.883 / 196.36
Herrera is 4 – 3 against Gadson in prior events and Herrera is 2 – 1 against Gadson in prior final rounds. Gadson with the starting line advantage, but Herrera chased him down by half track and took the win. Gaige Herrera’s MOV: 0.0308 seconds (approximately 9 feet). Herrera wins his second Wally this season and 30th of his career.
Gaige Hererra
Gaige Hererra

QUALIFYING – SATURDAY

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Richard Gadson returned to the site of his first professional victory and added another special Bristol moment, winning the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge over Jianna Evaristo with a run of 6.855 at 197.65 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki.

It’s the first bonus race win of the season for the reigning world champion, who continues to have plenty of good vibes racing in Thunder Valley. That started his championship journey a year ago and the points leader is in a great position to repeat last season’s win on Sunday.

“This Challenge is a favorite among the racers because you go to sleep Saturday night feeling really good, and you wake up Sunday feeling really good,” Gadson said. “When your bike is running this well and you’re solid on the tree, this Challenge gives you a real boost of confidence heading into race day.

“This place is special to me because everything changed here.”

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE CHALLENGE

ROUND ONE
W – Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.839, 197.74
L – Angie Smith, Buell, 6.858, 198.17

W – Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.899, 196.33
L – Ryan Oehler, 6.884, 198.06

FINAL
Win – Richard Gadson, 6.855, 197.65
RU – Jianna Evaristo, 6.896, 197.10

Herrera improved on Friday’s run to close out racing on Saturday, going 6.831 at 197.88 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki to pick up his first No. 1 spot of the 2026 campaign. Gadson took second with a 6.839 at 197.74 and Angie Smith is third with a run of 6.858 at 198.17.

Richard Gadson
Richard Gadson

1. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.831, 197.88
2. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.839, 197.74
3. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.858, 198.17
4. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.883, 194.24
5. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.884, 198.52
6. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.896, 197.10
7. Brayden Davis, Buell, 6.903, 197.08
8. Joey Gladstone, Buell, 6.935, 195.79
9. John Hall, Beull, 6.937, 197.77
10. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.946, 196.85
11. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.950, 193.07
12. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.956, 194.58
13. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.972, 184.75
14. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.049, 193.38
15. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 7.188, 183.15

Eliminations for the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals begin at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday at Bristol Dragway.

Angie Smith
Angie Smith

QUALIFYING – FRIDAY

Following a rare first-round loss at the most recent Pro Stock Motorcycle, Gaige Herrera bounced back quickly on Friday, making the quickest run of both sessions at Bristol Dragway, including a 6.667 at 196.59 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki.

Remarkably, it would be just the first No. 1 qualifier of the season for the two-time world champion and the 32nd in his career. Herrera won in Charlotte but dropped to fourth in points following a first-round loss last month in Maryland. That was only the second time that’s happened since the start of 2023 and Herrera was eager to rectify that upon arriving in Bristol.

“This whole season, I would say luck has not been on my side for a lot of things,” Herrera said. “It’s been a rough go this season for us, as far as me, with parts-wise and just failures, little mishaps. I’m glad to be on the pole at the moment, but it could change at any minute.

“The first run for me was picture perfect, really. I had to make very little corrections. I kind of adjusted the bike too much in Q2 and had to ride it quite a bit. I didn’t think it was going to run an .88 or .80 anything, so I was happy with that.”

Ryan Oehler is currently second after going 6.898 at 198.52 and Angie Smith, who won in Maryland, is third with a 6.899 at 197.54.

1. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.867, 196.59
2. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.898, 198.52
3. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.899, 197.54
4. Brayden Davis, Buell, 6.903, 197.08
5. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.908, 194.58
6. Joey Gladstone, Buell, 6.935, 195.79
7. John Hall, Beull, 6.953, 196.73
8. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.966, 194.38
9. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.003, 191.92
10. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 7.021, 194.63
11. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 7.065, 191.08
12. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.066, 191.38
13. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 7.188, 183.15
14. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 7.310, 151.51
15. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 7.815, 129.92

Richard Gadson
Richard Gadson

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/

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