2024 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Finale Results

| November 19, 2024

The top two riders in the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle division battled back and forth at the season-ending NHRA Finals in Pomona, California, November 15-17, and while Denso Buell’s Matt Smith won the battle, it was RevZilla/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Gaige Herrera who won the war.

Gaige Herrera at 2024 NHRA Pomona. Photo: Matt Polito — **Gaige Herrera made it back-to-back NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Championships. He secured the number-one plate with a first-round win at the Pomona final.**

By Kevin McKenna | Photos: Matt Polito

Coming into the 15th and final round of the season, it was almost a given that Herrera would win his second-straight Mission Foods NHRA world title, but Smith was not willing to raise the white flag and ended the season with a dominant victory, the 41st of his career.

Smith defeated Herrera in the final round with a run of 6.702 seconds at 202.12 mph. The win was Smith’s second of the season, and it enabled the six-time world champion to finish second in the points battle.

“We came in knowing we probably couldn’t get three hats, but we knew we could get two and we did,” said Smith. “We got the low qualifier hat and the winner’s hat, just not the champion’s hat. Still, we were able to put pressure on Gaige. He’s a deserving champ, but we just made too many mistakes, especially late in the season.

In Pomona, Smith made few, if any, mistakes as he qualified in the top spot and then rode to victories against Aaron Pine, Marc Ingwersen and Steve Johnson. Smith had never beaten Herrera in a final round, but that changed in Pomona. Afterwards, Smith reflected on his 2024 season.

Matt Smith at 2024 NHRA Pomona. Photo: Matt Polito — **Fifty-two-year-old Matt Smith finished off the ’24 season with his 41st career victory.**

“I love doing this, but I’ve thought about getting off and putting some young kid on the bike,” Smith said. “I’m 52, and it’s hard to keep up, but I still love it. Actually, our sponsor, Denso told me to stop talking about retirement. I still have a job, so I plan to come back and push hard to get that seventh championship next year.”

For his part, Herrera didn’t need to do much more than win the first round of eliminations in order to lock up the championship, and he did that with relative ease. Any bitterness he may have felt about losing the final was quickly erased by the thoughts of a 10-win season and a record 21 wins in the last 30 events.

“This championship is very special,” Herrera said. “When I won the title in 2023, it didn’t seem real. It just sort of happened.” That wasn’t the case this year. He had to go out and fight for it every weekend, Herrera said.

“When Matt went back to a Buell this season, we knew he’d be tough, and I have to hand it to him for all his hard work. He also forced us to work harder,” Herrera added.

“I think the first round for the championship was the most nervous I’ve ever been on a bike,” Herrera said. “It’s what you dream about as a little kid, but win or lose, I still love this sport. At Indy two years ago, I made my debut, and at the time, I thought it was a one-race deal. Now, here we are two years and two championships later. I still can’t believe it.”

Smith and Herrera, and the rest of the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle teams will resume their battle next March when the 2025 season opens in Gainesville, Florida. In the meantime, Smith intends to continue building his four-bike team, which currently includes his wife, Angie Smith, along with Jianna Evaristo and John Hall.

The Vance & Hines squad is expected to return with two bikes, including Herrera and top rookie candidate Richard Gadson, who made three final rounds and appears poised to become NHRA’s next first-time winner.