| July 25, 2023
Few things in NHRA drag racing are as coveted as a sweep of the annual Western Swing, and second-year sensation Gaige Herrera is now two-thirds of the way there following his most recent win at the NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington.
By Kevin McKenna
The Western Swing is NHRA’s grueling three-races-in-three-weeks marathon with stops in Denver, Seattle and Sonoma, and Herrera is now just one win away from a sweep. For the record, this is the first time the Pro Stock Motorcycle class has been included in all three events.
Herrera raced his Vance & Hines/Mission Food Suzuki teammate Eddie Krawiec in the final round and scored his fifth win in seven races, running a 6.80 to hold off Krawiec’s competitive 6.84. Herrera also became the first racer in any class to clinch a spot in the Countdown to the Championship.
“That was probably one of my toughest finals,” said Herrera. ” You know, I’ve raced Ed in the semis, but when it’s a final, it’s totally different. Having to race the boss and one of the guys has helped me so much this season to be as good as I am, it’s really overwhelming. I know he’s shooting for his 50th [NHRA victory] and I held him back from that.”
Herrera was the top qualifier for the sixth time in seven races this season and then kicked off the weekend by winning Saturday’s Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, and he then went into Sunday’s final eliminations with wins against Lance Bonham and GETTRX Buell’s Hector Arana Jr. The Vance & Hines team was put to the test on race day as Herrera wounded an engine early in the race, necessitating a quick pit-area swap.
“Unfortunately, we had a mechanical failure first round,” Herrera said. “It was either a broken rod or piston, which is pretty rare for these bikes. It happened right at the [finish line] stripe so we had to rush back and that was our tightest turnaround time, and we ended up having to change motors, and we ended up changing the rear tire as well. People saying we’re sandbagging a little bit you know, but that just goes to show we’re pushing his bikes as far as we can because we always want to be on top.”
Krawiec, who is still seeking his landmark 50th NHRA victory, made it to the final round for the first time since last summer’s Topeka event when he stopped Ryan Oehler and rookie of the year candidate Chase Van Sant in a close 6.82 to 6.86 race. Krawiec went to the 92nd final round of his career after world champ Matt Smith’s Denso Suzuki wouldn’t fire for their semifinal battle.
While Herrera has a monstrous lead in the championship standings, his immediate attention shifts to next weekend’s Denso Sonoma Nationals in his home state of California. There, he hopes to make history by completing the rare Western Swing Sweep, a feat that has only been accomplished nine times by eight different drivers.
Herrera is also in the process of making history as he’s compiled an otherworldly 23-2 record in elimination rounds. His only two losses in Camping World NHRA Championship events have come via a red-light start to Steve Johnson in Bristol, Tennessee, and a loss to Jianna Evaristo in the quarter final round in Norwalk, Ohio.
- Gaige Herrera (Suz)
- Eddie Krawiec (Suz)