Gage Herrera launches during Sunday’s Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. (Photo: Wayne Reigle | The Podium Finish)
NORWALK, Ohio – Gage Herrera is inevitable.
The reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle champion looked vulnerable during qualifying on Friday and Saturday, but after a weather change and some work by his team and crew chief Andrew Hines, Sunday became déjà vu all over again. Herrera extended his NHRA record win streak to 11 events just one week after breaking the record previously held by Pro Stock Car legend Bob Glidden.
“It makes me feel like all my hard work is paying off,” Herrera said. “Since I was a little kid – I actually grew up one town over from John – to have my name compared with him is unbelievable.
“It’s still John Force, you can never compare yourself to anyone like that. But just to have your name mentioned in the history books like that, is just incredible, and I never would’ve dreamed it as a kid… I still don’t believe it.”
With the win, he also padded his consecutive round win record up to 49 straight.
For the first half of the weekend, it looked like six-time NHRA champion Matt Smith might break through, as he earned the top qualifying spot, and picked up the win in the Mission Foods 2 Fast, 2 Tasty showdown on Saturday. But the weather shifted between Saturday and Sunday, and Herrera said that made all the difference for his steam.
“This week I’ve got to thank Mother Nature for coming in and changing the weather 180 degrees for us,” he said. “Once I saw what the weather was going to do, I was really excited. Because my bike runs really good in that weather.“
Starting from the No. 3 qualified position, Herrera took down Ron Tornow in Round One when Tornow red lit. In Round Two, it was a matchup with Chase Van Sandt, and Herrera powered to a 6.760 second pass to move on to the semi-finals in which he squared off with John Hall. Like Tornow, Hall went red trying to get an advantage, while Herrera blistered the track with a 6.720 second run. He saved his best for last, however, after some starting line cat-and-mouse with Smith, Herrera set the best time of the weekend in cruising to his eleventh straight win with a 6.704 second pass.
Herrera Holds Off Smith in Much Anticipated Match-Up
The rivalry between Herrera’s Vance and Hines team, and the Matt Smith Racing team has been well documented, but despite both riders having a strong season, they had not found themselves in a final round matchup prior to Sunday. Herrera said the rivalry is good for the class, and hinted that it might not be as acrimonious as it has seemed at times.
“I feel like it’s a good rivalry for the class,” Herrera said. “But everyone’s hashing it out a little bit. On the starting line was a lot of fun. He flickered his pre-stage. I flickered mine. We just went back and forth.
“You’ve got to have fun with it, and we’re trying to mess each other up. He’s got a fast motorcycle and I’ve got a fast motorcycle. Mine seems to be better on Sundays.”
Herrera said that Smith’s improved performance is good for the class, and for fans, but also good for him, as he knows he has to stay on top of his own game in order to continue competing with Smith and his team.
“It’s making it a lot of fun between us,” he said. “Not only that, I think the top six or seven bikes were very tight this week. As the season keeps progressing, it’s going to get tough. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Herrera Downplays His Role in Team’s Success
When asked if he would consider himself a phenom, Herrera suggested that he deserves less credit than he has been getting for his unprecedented run.
“I wouldn’t call myself that,” he said. “I would just call myself lucky. I’ve got an awesome team behind me, and they deserve more of the credit than I do. I get the spotlight, but it’s all them.”
He said the team has been trying some different things during qualifying, and their performance has not been as strong during qualifying runs or the Mission 2 Fast, 2 Tasty challenges. But he said the team rises to the challenge when it counts the most.
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what you do Friday and Saturday,” he said. “Sunday is the only day that matters. And that’s the mindset I’ve been in because I haven’t been so good in qualifying and Mission challenges lately.”
Gage Herrera eyes the starting lights during his 11th straight Pro Stock Motorcycle win on Sunday in Norwalk, Ohio. (Photo: Wayne Reigle | The Podium Finish)
With Win Record Behind Him, Pressure is Different
Breaking Glidden’s record last week in Virginia was a big moment for Herrera. Not only because his name is now etched into the NHRA record books, but also because it allowed him to stop worrying about whether or not he might reach the record. While that pressure is relieved, he said there is always pressure when you are a competitor.
“It’s a different kind of pressure now,” he said. “Now I’ve got to focus on going out there and performing my best every lap. In Virginia, the hype was, I was tied with him and had to pass him. Now I’ve done that, so now I have to focus on trying to keep it going as long as we can. And I want to keep it going as long as I can. So it’s a different kind of pressure.”
He said his nerves nearly cost him in Virginia with inconsistent reaction times, but he felt more relaxed at the line this week, and that helped him settle back in.
“In Virginia, I was definitely nervous,” he said. “My lights were all over the place. This week, I felt like I was back to my normal self. I just have to keep that going the rest of the season. It’s a different pressure now, it’s just a racer mentality pressure.”
He said any time he starts to feel too comfortable, his grandfather knows how to keep pushing him forward.
“The main thing (my grandfather) always says is, ‘Once you’re at the top, there’s only one way down. So you better be looking at that time, because it’s coming,’” Herrera said. “I hope it never comes, but it’s one of those things. You’ve got to go back to reality. It can end at any moment, so I’m just having fun with it, and enjoying it while I can.”
Teammate Gadson Has Been a Boost for Herrera
The semifinal round of Pro Stock Motorcycles pitted a pair of Matt Smith Racing riders against a pair of Vance and Hines riders, with Herrera and John Hall squaring off on one side of the ladder, and Smith and Richard Gadson on the other. While Smith got past Gadson to move into the final round, Herrera said he and Gadson have been working well together as a team, and he believes they are making each other better.
“We’re definitely teaching each other as we go,” he said of Gadson. “He’s better in some areas and I’m better in other areas. I feel like he kind of got thrown in it a little more aggressive than I did. I had quite a few laps, especially on our bikes. He’s doing good. I’m happy to have him as a teammate. I think we’re going to be very deadly once he gets more and more comfortable.”
Last week in Virginia, Gadson and Herrera squared off in the final round, with Herrera edging his teammate in a great race to break Glidden’s record, and the two narrowly missed a repeat performance on Sunday.
