At the NHRA Souther Nationals at South Georgia Motorsports Park Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Matt Smith finished off a picture-perfect weekend on Sunday with his first victory of the 2026 season, defeating Richard Gadson in the final round with a run of 6.724 at 202.06 on his Denso Auto Parts Buell.
Smith and his team had qualified No. 1 at each of the first three races this season, but Sunday had been a different story until today, as Smith enjoyed a stellar day, including a run of 6.685 at 203.06 in a second-round victory against Chase Van Sant. He got past his wife, Angie, a round later to set up the matchup with the reigning world champion.
Gadson left first, but Smith, who was named to NHRA’s Top 75 Driver list before the season, tracked him down, showcasing a motorcycle that has been a step ahead of everyone in NHRA’s debut at South Georgia Motorsports Park. It led to Smith’s 43rd career win as he seeks a class-record seventh world championship this season.
“This is not only rewarding for me, but it’s just rewarding for our team, because we worked so hard this winter to find a little bit of power,” Smith said. “We found some power and we’re showing it. We’ve been No. 1 qualifier for three races in a row now. We just hadn’t shown up on Sunday and I’m glad we showed up today.
“We got our lucky break in the first round. I had a bye and as soon as I brought the engine up, the toggle switch on the fuel pump went out so we lost lane choice. As soon as I saw this [75th anniversary NHRA Wally trophy] I knew I wanted one. I’m glad we didn’t have to wait long to get it.”
Gadson, who remained in the points lead, advanced to his second final round this season after defeating Geno Scali, Clayton Howey and two-time world champion Gaige Herrera.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action May 14-17 with the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK at Route 66 Raceway in Chicago.
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