Richard Gadson converted strong mid-season momentum into two career milestones by qualifying number one for the first time and winning his second NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle race aboard his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki Gen 3 Hayabusa at the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, CA.
In round one of Sunday’s eliminations, Gadson defeated Brad Hawkes (foul) with a 6.744-second/200.56 mph run, then advanced past Angie Smith (no time) with a 6.779-second/200.50 mph pass in round two. Gadson ran 6.817 seconds at 199.14 mph in a semi-final solo bye run to advance to the final round of eliminations for the third race in a row and fifth time this season.
A week after losing his bid for a second win against teammate Gaige Herrera in Seattle, Gadson sought redemption in the finals against John Hall, who had denied him earlier this year in Norwalk. This time there would be no regrets for Gadson, who overpowered Hall (6.807 seconds/196.04 mph) with a 6.756-second/199.97 mph run to claim his second win in the last five races and solidify second place in the regular season points battle.
Gadson now trails Herrera by just 70 points heading into a five-week break before the final race of the Pro Stock Motorcycle regular season at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. After Indy, points for the top ten riders in the class will reset for the six-race Countdown to the Championship that decides the season championship. Both Herrera and Gadson have officially clinched positions in the Countdown.
“This was a dream weekend. I knew I had a great motorcycle under me and that if I zeroed in, focused and trusted in my team, I would win this race. I had the fastest bike on Friday and Saturday in qualifying. We were missing something today in the early rounds, but I knew the boys would find it and they did in the nick of time thanks to having that bye run in the semis. The 6.75 in the finals was a big run considering the conditions and the headwind. I’m very happy,” Gadson said. “This win is sweeter than my first one against Gaige because it came against our archrivals. In a few weeks we get to roll into our hometown race in Indy with fast bikes and a lot of confidence. It’s going to be a long seven races for anyone not on the Vance & Hines team.”
In round one, Herrera defeated Clayton Howey (6.976 seconds/192.77 mph) with a 6.737-second/200.29 mph pass. Herrera’s race weekend ended in the second round after his 6.813-second/198.22 mph run wasn’t quick enough against John Hall (6.739 seconds/200.50 mph).
“We were going back and forth with the setup on my bike all weekend, and never really got a good handle on it. In the second round, I was tardy on the light. I don’t know if I was daydreaming or taking a nap, but we also missed the tune-up a little bit, so even if I had a good light we might not have won that round. I didn’t push it on the tree so I’m a little disappointed in myself but that’s only going to make me hungrier,” Herrera said. “Going into Indy and the Countdown, it’s game time. I’ve got to focus and have no room for errors. There are a lot of good riders in the class right now. The rest of the season will be a real dog fight.”
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki crew chief Andrew Hines said the opportunity to do some creative tuning on race day was critical to the victory in Sonoma, which is now the first track on the NHRA schedule where all four key members of the Vance & Hines team have won, including himself and co-crew chief Eddie Krawiec during their riding careers, Herrera in 2023, and now Gadson.
“Richard’s shown he has prowess on the bike. We just needed all the stars to align for him. We were able to experiment with some tuning in round two and the bye run in the semis that really woke it up for the final. It was nice to put up a good number in the final and see the smile on Richard’s face. That was an all-around team effort,” Hines said. “Over the next few weeks, we’ll implement some of the things we learned this weekend that will be beneficial going into the Countdown, do some testing to break in new tires and keep the guys sharp, and enjoy some time at home after back-to-back races on the road.”
After eight of 15 rounds in the 2025 Pro Stock Motorcycle season, Herrera and Gadson sit first and second in the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings with 794 and 724 points, respectively.
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