Richard Gadson earned his first NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle victory in thrilling fashion aboard his Suzuki Gen 3 Hayabusa by defeating his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines teammate Gaige Herrera at the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway in Bristol, TN, on Sunday.
In round one, Gadson defeated Charles Poskey (7.153 seconds/191.29 mph) with a 6.869-second/196.53 mph pass. Gadson ran 6.898 seconds at 196.93 mph in a solo bye run in round two, then defeated Chase Van Sant (foul) with a 6.911-second/192.33 mph pass in the semi-finals to advance to his 5th career final round appearance.
Facing teammate Gaige Herrera in a heads-up final round matchup for the second time since joining the Vance & Hines team last season, Gadson edged out the two-time champion in a thrilling side-by-side drag race to notch his first career Pro Stock Motorcycle national event win on a hole shot. Gadson’s quicker .014-second reaction time at the start of his 6.884-second/196.30 mph pass gave him the margin of victory he needed against Herrera’s slightly quicker 6.882-second/196.24 mph run.
“I knew I couldn’t bank on outrunning Gaige. I knew I’d have to take it from him, and he doesn’t usually leave his opponents much room to get in front of him. Being aggressive on the tree was the only way I was going to do it, so I went up to the starting line with the mindset that I was going to leave it all there. I was going to red light, or I was going to leave first,” Gadson said.
“I’m happy to finally pull off a win for my team. I’ve been so close so many times. I woke up this morning feeling in my mind, body and spirit that today was my day. Thankfully I was right about that,” he said. “I’ve had the opportunity to win a couple of times before. Some of them I screwed up. Some of them we screwed up together. But today we did everything right. I really hope that they’re right when they say the first win is the toughest one, because this one was hard. Now my focus is to keep doing all the right things so I can get more of them.”
After taking back the championship points lead with a win two weeks ago in Chicago, Gaige Herrera qualified fourth with a 6.876-second/197.39 mph run on Saturday, his first time not starting in the top position this season. Herrera also won the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday, a race within a race contested during qualifications in which semi-finalists from the previous race compete head-to-head for a cash purse and championship bonus points. It was Herrera’s second #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win this season and the ninth of his career.
Herrera advanced out of the first round on Sunday with a 6.857-second/197.13 mph victory over Chris Bostick (7.136 seconds/166.91 mph). In round two, Herrera defeated Angie Smith (6.967 seconds/196.44 mph) with a 6.883-second/196.67 mph run.
In the semi-final round, Herrera faced off against rookie sensation Brayden Davis, who qualified number one in only his second career Pro Stock Motorcycle start, notably riding the very same Vance & Hines Hayabusa that Herrera raced to victory in Chicago. Unfazed by the challenge, Herrera posted a 6.895-second/196.59 mph pass to advance to his 27th career final round appearance. Davis’s Cinderella story ended abruptly on the starting line, when he double clutched and stalled his engine. Davis, who is leasing the motorcycle from Vance & Hines for a two-race stint, will join the team again in Virgina later this month.
In the final round, Gadson turned the tables on Herrera, beating him on a hole shot in their first head-to-head matchup of the season. It was a rare loss for the reigning champion, who has developed a reputation for lightning quick reactions and an unflappable demeanor on the starting line.
“I looked over at Richard’s bike the 1,000-foot mark and he had a wheel one me. I thought, ‘dang it, he got me on the light.’ Richard was on his game all weekend on the tree. He’s been working his butt off, and he deserves it. I’m very happy for him. It’s awesome to see your teammate put his head down, dig deep and be successful at what he loves,” Herrera said. “It was a powerhouse weekend for Vance & Hines. We showed that all three of our Hayabusas are fast.”
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki crew chief Andrew Hines said he expected to face a challenge in Bristol, the track known as Thunder Valley that is a fan favorite but has a developed a reputation as being difficult to tune for.
“This is a tough uphill track with altitude. I thought we might come here and struggle, but we found the performance to get it done. We had the number one qualifier with Brayden, Gaige won the Mission 2Fast2Tasty Challenge and Richard won the race. Putting three Suzukis with RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines colors into the semi-finals today was very cool,” Hines said. “This win is a huge confidence booster for Richard. He did a fantastic job all weekend, with great reaction times every round. He was on point, shifting and riding great. It all finally aligned for him. We’re just soaking it in right now, and it’s nice to see the big smile on his face.”
After the fourth of 15 rounds in the 2025 Pro Stock Motorcycle season, Herrera and Gadson sit first and third in the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings with 430 and 346 points, respectively.
The RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines team returns to action June 20-22 at the Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park in North Dinwiddie, VA.
There are more videos on the Cycledrag Youtube channel (please subscribe here) and like the Cycledrag Facebook page (Please like here) and more will be coming soon. Also subscribe to our NEW Youtube channel “Racing Jack” and Check back daily.
