2025 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Round 3 Results

| May 19, 2025

In the latest battle between rival teams, RevZilla/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Gaige Herrera topped Denso Buell’s Matt Smith in the final of the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, Illinois, May 16-18.

Gaige Herrera NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle class at Route 66 — **Gaige Herrera topped the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle class at Route 66.**

Story by Kevin McKenna | Photos by Matt Polito

Smith won the most recent round in Charlotte, but this time it was Herrera who gained the advantage off the starting line and held the lead to win with a 6.777-second elapsed time, while Smith was not far behind with a 6.805. Herrera has now won 23 events since the start of the 2023 season, and he’s an impressive 6-1 against Smith in NHRA final rounds. Herrera is also unbeaten in three appearances at Route 66 Raceway.

“We played a few games on the starting line, but that’s just us,” Herrera said. “He’s good on the [Christmas Tree]. His dad is ‘Tricky Rickie’ Smith, and Matt is just like him. We’re out here trying to make the class fun, and that’s why we play a few mind games. This time, I came out on top, and I can’t thank Drew [Hines, crew chief] enough. This ain’t too bad for a rental bike.”

Herrera’s Vance & Hines team made a bold move when they parked his Suzuki in favor of an older chassis currently available as a rental bike. This decision aimed to showcase the potential of the Vance & Hines rental program and demonstrate that Herrera can overcome almost any obstacle.

The plan worked perfectly, as Herrera qualified in the number-one spot with a 6.717 run and then advanced through Sunday’s final eliminations with victories against John Hall, Chris Bostick and Smith. The win also enabled Herrera to regain the lead in what promises to be a seesaw battle with Smith that likely won’t conclude until the final weeks of the season.

“It’s very hard to believe and almost too hard to keep track of what we’ve done in two short seasons,” Herrera said. “A lot has happened. When it comes to Matt, we do a lot of back-and-forth [trash] talking. That’s what racers live for. He’s our toughest competitor, and I love racing against him. He always brings out the best in me.

Smith may have lost the final, but he has plenty of reasons to feel optimistic, not the least of which is his track record of 204.26 mph in qualifying. On a weekend when heavy winds wreaked havoc in the class, Smith appeared to have few problems as he advanced from the number-two qualifying spot to the final, beating Wes Wells, Jianna Evaristo and Chris Bostick along the way.

While Smith and Herrera have made most of the headlines this season, the Chicago event represented a “get healthy” weekend for a couple of other tour regulars. Chris Bostick won his first elimination round in over a year and then reached the semi-finals on his Suzuki, prepared by the WAR team. The same could be said for Steve Johnson, who was only 11th quickest in qualifying, but managed to win two rounds on race day by defeating Ryan Oehler and Herrera’s Vance & Hines teammate, Richard Gadson.

The Pro Stock Motorcycle class will return on June 6-8 at the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at historic Bristol Dragway in Bristol, Tennessee.