NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Two-time world champion Gaige Herrera has continued his winning ways during the 2025 season, but he’s been challenged by teammate Richard Gadson, Matt Smith, and John Hall, who each have wins. Here's a look at the Pro Stock Motorcycle season's first half with a combination of stats and analysis.

The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals marked the midpoint of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series regular season, with 10 races down and 10 to go until the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals. Pro Stock Motorcycle teams have completed six events with three more to go before the start of the six-race Countdown to the Championship.

Two-time world champ Gaige Herrera has won three times this season, while Richard Gadson, Matt Smith, and John Hall each have one win. Let's take a look at the season's first half with a combination of stats and analysis.

Ten takeaways

Gaige Herrera may not be perfect, but he often comes close. Herrera joined the Vance & Hines team at the start of the 2023 season, and since then, he’s done nothing but win. In 36 starts aboard the RevZilla/Vance & Hines Suzuki, Herrera has won 24 times and appeared in 28 final rounds. With his next victory, he’ll be the fastest NHRA Pro to reach 25 wins, and it’s not even close. This season, Herrera leads the way in wins, as well as average qualifying position (2.2) and percentage of completed runs (97.6), which makes him awfully tough to beat on race day. After six events, he holds a solid 97-point lead over second-place Matt Smith with three events remaining before the start of the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

As dominant as Herrera has been at times this season, six-time champ Matt Smith has never let him get too far out of his sight. Smith has made it known that he wants a seventh title before hanging up his helmet, and there’s little reason to think he can’t get it this season. In addition to his win at the Charlotte four-wide event, he was a runner-up in Gainesville and Chicago, and he’s qualified his Denso Buell no lower than third at any race. When it comes to speed, Smith is also the undisputed king with more 200-mph runs than anyone, including a 204.26 run in Chicago that stands as the fastest of the season so far.

That huge sigh of relief you heard emanating from Bristol Dragway undoubtably came from Richard Gadson, who won his first Pro Stock Motorcycle event a little more than a year after joining the Vance & Hines squad. Gadson’s talent has never been an issue, but getting past teammate Herrera has been a bit more challenging. After three final rounds last season, Gadson broke through for his first win, and he did it on a holeshot, providing a bit more personal satisfaction. Gadson was going to win a second race in Norwalk until a faulty transmission shifted from second to fourth gear, but he’s got nothing to hang his head about with a 13-5 record on the season. He’s solidly in the Top 3 and isn’t likely going anywhere but up.

If nothing else, John Hall’s recent win at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk should provide inspiration to everyone else in the class, providing hope. Hall had been winless since the 2013 U.S. Nationals until he stopped Gadson in the Norwalk final. Racing as part of Matt Smith’s four-bike team, Hall fits in well. In addition to his Norwalk win, Hall has been to the quarterfinals in Gainesville and Chicago, and he’s now moved to fifth place in the Mission Foods standings. When it comes to qualifying, Hall has also shown steady improvement as he’s been the No. 3 seed at the two more recent events in Richmond and Norwalk.

Perhaps the most interesting storyline to emerge from the first half of the 2025 season involves Brayden Davis, who nearly won the Bristol race in his second NHRA start. Davis, a star in the PDRA series, leased the third bike from the Vance & Hines team for the Bristol race and qualified on the pole and then rode to the semifinals, where only a double-clutch on the starting line prevented what likely would have been a storybook ending. Davis also raced in Richmond, where he won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge and then went to a second semifinal. Davis also had low e.t. of the event at both races. Although he’s competed in just three events, Davis is currently ranked No. 11 in the standings, so he has a shot to make the Top 10, although he’ll have to do it on points. He’s reportedly scheduled to make his next start at the Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals, which offers a points-and-a-half format, so there is a possibility that he makes the Countdown.

So far this season, Angie Smith hasn’t had the sort of success she’s been accustomed to, but there are clear signs that there are sunnier days ahead. First off, Smith is ranked No. 4 in the standings after six events, and she’s got a better than .500 record in elimination rounds a 7-6. Smith has also qualified her pink Denso Buell no lower than seventh at any race, so she’s maintained lane choice in the first round at every event. To this point, Smith’s best outing came in Richmond, where she reached the final round before dropping a tight battle against Gaige Herrera. Smith tends to perform better in the second half of the season and has had some of the most successful races of her career during the Countdown. If the question is “Can she win the championship?” the answer is yes.

Two years removed from being named as the NHRA Rookie of the Year, Chase Van Sant still has all the potential in the world, but he’s had a tough time gaining traction with his Trick Tools Suzuki. On the plus side, Van Sant has been to the semi’s twice, most recently in Bristol, and he’s also heading into Seattle as the sixth-ranked rider in the class. The downside is that Van Sant has qualified in the bottom half of the field four times in six events, which means he’s got to race the top riders in the class much earlier than he’d prefer. Van San was solidly in the 6.7s in Gainesville, and he’s made several runs in excess of 200 mph, so in actuality, he’s only one final round from being in contention. Oh, and Van Sant is also the class leader in reaction time, which will definitely play into his favor during the playoffs.

After more than 500 starts in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class, Steve Johnson has announced that he’s skipping the upcoming West Coast races in Seattle and Sonoma while he prepares for the Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals and the Countdown to the Championship. Johnson opened the season with a rare DNQ in Gainesville and then quickly bounced back with back-to-back semifinals in Charlotte and Chicago. Johnson is seventh in the Mission Foods standings, and he’s likely to be ninth or tenth after missing Seattle and Sonoma. That’s not ideal, but barring something unusual, he should be eligible for the playoffs. Winning a championship is a huge long shot, but a Top 5 finish isn’t.

If there is one person who was probably very excited to see John Hall win in Norwalk, it’s his MSR teammate, Jianna Evaristo. Hall and Evaristo have essentially the same equipment and, thus, the same opportunities to win events. After six events, Evaristo has a 4-6 record, but the only thing separating her from a better finish is luck. She’s qualified in the top half of the field four times and scored a holeshot win over Van Sant in Chicago. Evaristo has also raced her team owner and crew chief, Matt Smith, twice and has put up a fair fight both times. 

So, who else could make an impact this year by winning a race or possibly even reaching a final round. The list of likely candidates includes Chirs Bostick, Hector Arana Jr., Marc Ingwersen, Ryan Oehler, and Ron Tornow. At various points this season, each of the above riders has had at least one shining moment. For Bostick, it was a semifinal in Chicago, and Ingwersen was the fourth-quickest qualifier in Charlotte. Oehler was also in the 6.7s in Chicago, and Tornow recently qualified in the top half of the field in Norwalk. The talent at the top of the Pro Stock Motorcycle class is undeniable, but when one of the points leaders slips up, there is usually someone there to take advantage of it.

Probable regular-season finish: 1. Gaige Herrera; 2. Matt Smith; 3. Richard Gadson. He may not finish the season with 10 wins, but Gaige Herrera is still the man to beat in Pro Stock Motorcycle, and it’s going to take a lot of effort (and probably a little luck) to get him to give up the No. 1 plate. Smith is certainly capable, and so is Gadson, but for now the safe bet is Herrera.

Dark horses: While it’s hard to imagine anyone other the Herrera, Matt Smith, or Gadson winning the championship, there is always a chance for an upset, and given the nature of the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, no one should be counted out early. John Hall and Angie Smith are two that come to mind. Both have won events previously, and if they can come out swinging with a win or a final in Reading or Charlotte, then anything is possible. If you want a real long shot, imagine what sort of damage Brayden Davis could do if he were to somehow sneak his way into the playoffs.