American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals
Virginia Motorsports Park
June 20-22, 2025

Gaige Herrera Wins Pro Stock Motorcycle

Gaige Herrera had to chase down Angie Smith in the finals in Pro Stock Motorcycle, but the points leader won for the second straight year at Virginia Motorsports Park with a run of 6.826 at 198.79 in the final round on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki. Smith left first on the back-to-back world champion, going 6.853 at 196.76, but Herrera had just enough to get past her at the finish line.

It gives Herrera his third win of the season and 24 in his career, with all of those coming since the start of the 2023 season. He continues to impress at every turn, defeating Ron Tornow, Steve Johnson and No. 1 qualifier Brayden Davis to reach the final round. The qualifying dominance hasn’t been there as of late, with Davis claiming the top spot at the last two races, but Herrera remains in control on raceday, stretching his points lead to 100 points over Matt Smith.

“I almost fumbled there in the final with my light,” Herrera said. “A 150-degree track is just insane but NHRA did a phenomenal job and Andrew [Hines, crew chief] had my bike consistent all day. Angie had a fast bike and I had a little doubt when I looked over before 1,000 foot and I saw her and thought ‘This is a little too close’ because the Buells always have the mph. So when I looked over, I saw I was actually pulling away from her (and) that was a good feeling.

“I’m having a lot of fun. Racing is all about competition, and that’s what I love, it’s what drives me and pushes me to do better than I can. I want to say I’m nervous racing Brayden and he always says he’s nervous racing me, just because of all this good success I’ve had.”

Smith reached the final round for the first time this season and 10th time in her career after defeating Dystany Spurlock, Matt Smith and Richard Gadson.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action June 26-29 with the 19th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

Eliminations Round 1

Eliminations Round 2

Eliminations Semi-Final

Eliminations Final

QUALIFYING

The meteoric rise of Pro Stock Motorcycle rookie Brayden Davis continued on Saturday in Richmond, as he defeated teammate Richard Gadson in the final round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and grabbed the No. 1 qualifier for the second straight race on his Powertrain/RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki.

Racing in his first NHRA specialty race, Davis went 6.772 at 198.70 to defeat Gadson, last week’s winner in Bristol, picking up his first Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory. Earlier in the day, Davis went 6.757 at 198.65 to claim the top spot for the second straight race. It is only Davis’ third career start in the Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks, but he’s quickly proven to be a major factor in the class.

Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge

After another fantastic Saturday, he’ll open eliminations against Marc Ingwersen, looking for a clean sweep at Virginia Motorsports Park and his first career NHRA win as well.

“I’ve said a million times, but when you race for the Vance & Hines team you know, you have top-notch equipment, and with Andrew [Hines, crew chief] on the keyboard, when he says it’s going to do something, it’s going to do it,” Davis said. “It’s proved it every pass this weekend. You never go up there with any doubt, and it’s left up to you, and if you get beat, then it just wasn’t your day

“I’m enjoying the moment and the ride while I have it. I really feel like we have a good shot at it tomorrow. I had the bike to beat in Bristol and I just messed up. It’s going to be interesting, but I think if I stay .020 on the Tree, and the bike stays consistent and stays healthy, then we should make it an interesting day.”

Matt Smith is currently in the second spot after a run of 6.768 at 201.43 and John Hall’s 6.787 at 199.97 puts him third.

FINAL QUALIFYING

1. Brayden Davis, Suzuki, 6.757, 198.85
2. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.768, 201.43
3. John Hall, Beull, 6.787, 199.97
4. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.793, 199.49
5. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.801, 197.54
6. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.809, 199.73
7. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.813, 199.70
8. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.848, 198.44
9. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.863, 199.29
10. Dystany Spurlock, Buell, 6.870, 166
11. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.877, 198.09
12. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.897, 197.62
13. Ron Tornow, Victory, 6.898, 198.55
14. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.898, 196.50
15. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.907, 196.44
16. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.924, 194.72
17. Brandon Litten, 6.960, 192.58

Eliminations for the American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals begin at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday at Virginia Motorsports Park.

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/

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

Great food is a great motivator. It brings everyone to the table and inspires us to explore all kinds of delicious destinations. At Mission®, it drives us to seek the freshest ingredients, simple recipes, diverse flavors and wholesome products that help us discover all the places our tortillas can go. There are better-for-you destinations like with our high protein, low carb, or gluten-free tortillas. Of course, tacos and nachos are favorite stops. We are always up for those. www.missionfoods.com

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