13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals
World Wide Technology Raceway
September 28-30, 2024

Pro Stock Motorcycle

After failing to win in the first two Pro Stock Motorcycle playoff races, defending world champ Gaige Herrera got back on track on Sunday, moving back into the points lead and taking his eighth victory of the season after a run of 6.805 at 198.12 on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki to defeat Chase Van Sant’s 6.868. It was an impressive bounce back weekend for Herrera, who qualified No. 1 and ran between 6.797 and 6.813 during all four elimination rounds to win for the 19th time in his career and the second straight season in St. Louis.

To get there, Herrera cruised past John Hall and Reading winner Hector Arana Jr., setting up a rematch of the Seattle final round. Van Sant won that, snapping Herrera’s streak of 11 straight victories, but Herrera rode past Van Sant on Sunday. Back in the points lead, Herrera leads Matt Smith, who lost in the second round, by 34 points.

“This means a lot. St. Louis is the halfway point in the Countdown, and to leave here with the points lead and get the win just gives me and the whole team a big boost going into Dallas and the rest of the races,” Herrera said. “If you don’t do well here, it sets you back and puts you in a different mindset.

“We’re leaving with a lot of confidence. I’m glad to say my bike’s back, especially after the last couple of races. I had a red light and in Charlotte had a malfunction and lost a decent amount of points to Matt and he got the points lead. I’m glad to get that back. It brings me a lot of confidence and I’m looking forward to going to Dallas. It’s always a fun race. I’m glad I get to win in St. Louis, I’m not far from here and it’s a beautiful facility. I’m glad the rain was only Friday. It was a good day of racing.”

Van Sant knocked off Chris Bostick, Richard Gadson and Geno Scali to advance to the finals for the third time in 2024. Gadson is third in points, 65 behind his teammate.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action Oct. 9-13 with the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex in Dallas.

ELIMINATIONS – ROUND 1

John Hall is 14 – 11 this year. 6 of those 11 losses have come against Gaige Herrera. Marc Ingwersen is 2 – 7 in Rd. 1 this year. Ingwersen is 2 – 1 against Hall in prior events. Hall with the starting line advantage and the win. He makes his quickest pass of the event for the win.

Jianna Evaristo’s 10 round wins this year matches her best for any single season. Geno Scali is 79 – 70 in Rd. 1 in his career. Evaristo is 1 – 0 against Scali in prior events. Evaristo goes red to give Scali the win.

Chase Van Sant is 10 – 1 in Rd. 1 this year. Chris Bostick is making his 63rd start. Van Sant is 1 – 0 against Bostick in prior events. Van Sant with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win.

In his career Hector Arana Jr. is 134 – 53 (71.6%) in Rd. 1. This is Steve Johnson’s 784th round. 1 shy of the class record (A. Hines). Arana Jr is 16 – 3 against Johnson in prior events. Arana Jr. with the starting line advantage, but spun. He gets it to hook up enough to get the win as Johnson’s bike went silent. He will give up lane choice to Angie Smith in the next round.

Matt Smith wins 82% of his Rd. 1 races when he has lane choice. Wesley Wells is making his 33rd start. Smith is 4 – 0 against Wells in prior events. Smith with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. He makes the quickest pass of race day and will have lane choice over Scali in the next round.

ELIMINATIONS – ROUND 2

Arana Jr is 22 – 7 against Smith in prior events. Arana Jr. with a near perfect light and the power to hold on for the hole shot win. Hector Arana Jr’s MOV: 0.0138 seconds (approximately 4 feet)

Gadson and Van Sant have each won 2 times against the other in prior events. Van Sant with a great light and the power to hold on for the hole shot win in a close one. Chase Van Sant’s MOV: 0.0041 seconds (approximately 14 inches).

Scali is 6 – 3 against Smith in prior events. Scali with a great light and the power to hold on for the hole shot win. He will give up lane choice to Van Sant in the semifinal.

Herrera is 6 – 1 against Hall in prior events. Hall with a great light, but Herrera has the lead by 200 feet and never trails from there on for the win. He make the quickest pass of the round and will have lane choice over Arana Jr. in the semifinal.

ELIMINATIONS – SEMI-FINAL

Herrera is 3 – 1 against Arana Jr in prior events. Herrera with a couple ticks on the tree and never trailed for the win. He will have lane choice over Van Sant in the final.

ELIMINATIONS – FINAL

Herrera is 7 – 1 against Van Sant in prior events and each has won 1 times against the other in final rounds. Van Sant with the starting line advantage, but Herrera with the lead by 330 feet and never trailed from there on for the win. He wins his 19th career Wally and eighth this season.

Qualifying – Saturday

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Gaige Herrera delivered a stellar run to open qualifying on Saturday, going 6.796 at 197.74 on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki, earning his seventh No. 1 spot of the season. Herrera, the defending world champ, entered the weekend in an unfamiliar spot, as Matt Smith took over the points lead last weekend with his victory in Charlotte.

Smith has been terrific in St. Louis over the years, but Herrera won the event last year and will attempt to make it two in a row at the pivotal playoff race.

“This is what makes it fun — between Vance & Hines and (Matt Smith Racing), we’re going back and forth, and that’s how it should be going through the Countdown,” Smith said. “The points are very tight, within one round, so I’m glad to get that No. 1 qualifier and see if we can continue this tomorrow and throughout race day. That’s all that counts.

“My mindset is just trying to go round-by-round. I really don’t look back at last year or yesterday, I just try to go out there and go A-to-B as a rider. It’s going to play out how it’s going to play out.”

Smith finished right behind in second thanks to a 6.807 at 198.12 and Richard Gadson, who has advanced to the finals in each of the first two playoff races, is third after going 6.840 at 195.28.

1. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.796, 197.74
2. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.807, 198.12
3. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.840, 195.28
4. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.841, 198.29
5. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.853, 196.39
6. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.862,195.90
7. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.880, 196.73
8. John Hall, Beull, 6.889, 196.93
9. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.894, 195.85
10. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 6.917, 194.69
11. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.920, 193.02
12. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.923, 191.16
13. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 7.026, 191.67
15. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 7.328, 180.00
14. Lance Bonham, Buell, 7.282, 185.49

Eliminations for the NHRA Midwest Nationals begin at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway.

ABOUT NHRA

The National Hot Rod Association, the largest auto racing organization in the world, has come a long way since Wally Parks founded it in 1951.

Though it has grown into a global sports-entertainment business, NHRA has not lost sight of Parks’ original goal: to provide competitors a place to race. But now those places are deluxe supertracks in major U.S. markets, and the racing runs the gamut from 11,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragsters to 5-horsepower Jr. Dragsters. Drag racing’s journey through the decades has been sometimes swift, sometimes rocky, but always exciting and always worth the trip.

In the 1950s, top performance marks were 140 mph in 9 seconds. Today, they’re more than 330 mph in less than 3.7 seconds. Back then, winners earned little more than a trophy and bragging rights. Today’s racers compete for trophies and bragging rights as well as a share of more than $3 million in prize money.

In 2024, NHRA joined forces with Mission Foods to present the world’s fastest motorsports attraction as the flagship sponsor of the national touring series, the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

Under the leadership of President Glen Cromwell, NHRA raced forward in 2020 with a number of key initiatives, including a multiyear partnership with FOX Sports to televise NHRA events from the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, and the Pro Mod Drag Racing Series. FOX Sports networks aired more than 500 hours of programming throughout the year, highlighted by 22 race-day shows, including eight on FOX’s national network, in addition to primetime Friday night qualifying shows, and fans are in for more of the same this year.

NHRA has extremely loyal fans that are committed to the sport they love, and it’s easy to see why. They continue to have the best access to the behind-the-scenes action of racing. NHRA’s open-pits policy allows fans to get an up-close-and personal view of how teams rebuild engines. Drivers are often found in their pit areas, signing autographs and chatting with fans, who have the rare opportunity to get behind the wheel themselves in a variety of racing simulators in the Nitro Alley Fan Zone. Those are just a few reasons NHRA fans continue to be some of the most loyal in any sport.

For more information, log on to NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

About Mission Foods

Great food is a great motivator. It brings everyone to the table and inspires us to explore all kinds of delicious destinations. At Mission®, it drives us to seek the freshest ingredients, simple recipes, diverse flavors and wholesome products that help us discover all the places our tortillas can go. There are better-for-you destinations like with our high protein, low carb, or gluten-free tortillas. Of course, tacos and nachos are favorite stops. We are always up for those. www.missionfoods.com

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