Sometimes, revenge is best served cold, but other times, it’s best to get right to the heart of the matter. For RevZilla/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Richard Gadson, it was the latter, as he quickly bounced back from a disappointing loss in the GETTRX NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout on Saturday in Sonoma with a victory in Sunday’s final eliminations at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals, July 25-27.
Story by Kevin McKenna | Photos by Matt Polito
Gadson red-lighted against Matt Smith in the final of the GETTRX bonus event, a mistake that cost him the $25,000 first-place check. A day later, Gadson won his second NHRA event of the season by beating American Rebel Light Buell’s John Hall in the final round, running a best of 6.756 seconds in the final round at 199.97 mph.
Saturday’s red light was the chief motivator on Sunday, but Gadson was thrilled to earn a second win so quickly after picking up his first career Pro Stock Motorcycle victory last month in Bristol, Tennessee.
“This is all about getting right back after it, following that red light, and I probably couldn’t think of a better way to do it than how this day turned out,” Gadson said. “Normally, when you make a mistake like that, you’ve got to sit on it for a week [or] two, or however long, until the next race. Luckily for me, I got to go back out the next day and try again. Today, revenge was on my mind. We all find our motivators from different things, and that’s the kind of guy I am.”
Gadson, who qualified number one for the first time in his career, suffered no ill effects from Saturday’s loss as he defeated Brad Hawkes and Angie Smith to reach the final round and then chased down Hall, who wasn’t far behind with a 6.807 at 196.04.
“John Hall is a good friend of mine, but he beat me in the final in Norwalk a few weeks ago, and that is one race that kind of slipped through the cracks. I thought I had it, so to bring this one home is really big. I said they [Matt Smith Racing] won the battle, but we won the war.”
Sonoma Raceway is one of the most popular tracks on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing tour, but it’s also one of the most challenging due to its ever-changing wind and weather patterns. Gadson and the Vance & Hines team admittedly struggled to find the right combination on race day, but by the time they reached the final round, their Suzuki Hayabusa was dialed in.
“We were behind going into the final, but our boys put their minds together in the trailer, and we made a tune-up decision that we thought might get the job done,” Gadson said. “When I got the bike into third gear, I was pretty sure John wasn’t going to catch me.”
Hall, who ended a 13-year winless drought last month in Norwalk, Ohio, reached the final round for the second time in three races, defeating Chris Bostick, points leader Gaige Herrera and Smith, who won the GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout on Saturday for the second straight year.
In the championship battle, Herrera currently has a 70-point lead over teammate Gadson. The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action August 14-17 with the 43rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minnesota.CN
VIDEO | Matt Smith Wins GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout
VIDEO | Richard Gadson takes his second win of the season
2025 NHRA Sonoma Nationals Results
ROUND ONE — Angie Smith, Buell, 6.780, 199.23 def. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.821, 197.42; Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.775, 199.64 def. Freddie Camarena, Suzuki, Foul – Red Light; Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.737, 200.29 def. Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 6.976, 192.77; John Hall, 6.729, 201.70 def. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.910, 193.35; Matt Smith, Buell, 6.785, 200.56 def. Charles Poskey, Suzuki, 7.094, 190.89; Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.744, 200.56 def. Brad Hawkes, Suzuki, Foul – Outer Boundary;
QUARTERFINALS — John Hall, 6.739, 200.50 def. Gaige Herrera, 6.813, 198.52; Matt Smith, 6.817, 199.43 def. Jianna Evaristo, 6.809, 198.76; Richard Gadson, 6.779, 200.50 def. Angie Smith, Broke;
SEMIFINALS — John Hall, 6.782, 199.43 def. Matt Smith, 6.817, 198.41; Richard Gadson, 6.817, 199.14 was unopposed;
FINAL — Richard Gadson, 6.756, 199.97 def. John Hall, 6.807, 196.04.
Click here for all the latest Drag Racing news.
