Reigning NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Gaige Herrera accomplished something no other NHRA driver or rider — not Bob Glidden, not John Force, Greg Anderson, or Tony Schumacher, nor the late John Myers or Dave Schultz — had ever done this weekend at the NHRA Virginia Nationals, scoring his record tenth consecutive national event victory. Herrera, the rider of the Vance & Hines/RevZilla Suzuki, entered the weekend at Virginia Motorsports Park tied with Glidden, the late Pro Stock legend, at nine consecutive victories, racking up 35 round wins in a row, following his win two weeks at the Bristol Dragway.
After a bye run in the opening round, Gaige Herrera defeated Chris Bostick and John Hall to reach the final round, where he met Vance & Hines battery-mate Richard Godson. Herrera clocked a 6.755 at 199.26 mph to pull away from Gadson for his 16th career win. His 39 round wins is also a record in itself.
Displaying the significance of Herrera’s historic run to open his career, since his debut in the class at last season’s Gatornationals, he’s won 16 of the 20 races contested. He is already tied for 10th in wins (with Antron Brown) all-time in Pro Stock Motorcycle, and could climb as high as eighth before seasons end — this against riders who spent years, decades even, in the category. On a larger scale, he’s tied with Bruce Allen, Bob Tasca III, and Brittany Force for 58th all-time. Herrera has not lost at a national event since the NHRA Carolina Nationals in Concord, North Carolina on September 24 of last year — a race he followed up with four more consecutive wins to take five out six in the Countdown to the Championship in a dominant title run. He is of course also unbeaten in his sophomore campaign this season.
“It’s kind of hard to process all of it,” Herrera said. “The amount of accomplishments that have been achieved in such a short time, I tried to sit back and just think about it, and it’s very hard, because there are so many of them. I have to thank Andrew [Hines, crew chief] and basically picking me out of a haystack to ride for them. I’ve got to give it all up to Andrew and all the guys at the shop. None of this is possible without them.”
“It’s very surreal. Getting the 10 consecutive wins, I think that’s the biggest thing that really hasn’t set in. Last year, we were feeling like we were doing very good and making everyone else have to step up, so this…
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