In NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing, the only thing better than winning the biggest event of the season, the U.S. Nationals, would be racing a teammate in the final round. In the case of Denso Buell’s Matt Smith, it was even better, as he won his fourth career U.S. Nationals title with a final-round win against his teammate Angie Smith, who also happens to be his wife.
By Kevin McKenna
The win, his third of the season, capped a dominant weekend for Matt Smith, as the six-time World Champion won the final with a run of 6.791 seconds at over 198 mph. Angie Smith was close behind at 6.834 seconds.
“That’s what we do. We race each other straight up,” Matt Smith said. “Angie made a good run, but I just happened to make a little better one. She did a great job this weekend, and we got exactly what we wanted: a 1-2 finish, no matter the order.”
The victory was Smith’s fourth career win at Indy and third since the 2022 campaign, as the longtime class leader qualified number one and then defeated Chris Bostick, Clayton Howey and reigning World Champion Richard Gadson to set up a thrilling matchup with his wife.
For Smith, the win was also his first since taking several events off during the summer to recover from recent surgery.
“After all I’ve been through this year, we wanted to come up here and win,” Smith said. “We wanted to show how good we were and that we’re ready for this Countdown [playoffs], and I think we put a point on that. It’s awesome, man. You know, we worked hard to get back here.
“We did a lot of testing since my Norwalk [in June],” Smith said. “We did a lot of tests in Rockingham [North Carolina] in these hot, humid conditions. We spent two days down there, just nonstop in 100-degree temperatures, and we learned a lot. We learned stuff with the clutches, and it made us better here because I was consistent.”
Angie, the winner of the new event in Maryland this season, advanced to her third final round of the year thanks to round wins against Kelly Clontz, Geno Scali and Gaige Herrera, who had been riding a two-year unbeaten streak in Indy. Angie slowed to a 6.834 at 194.80 in the final round as husband Matt earned his 45th career win.
As the weekend proved, Smith and his entire team are peaking at a perfect time, and he was thrilled to pick up a win on drag racing’s grandest stage.
“I’ve won this race three times before, but I think after everything I’ve been through, this one might be the most meaningful.
Reigning World Champion Richard Gadson claimed the regular-season World Championship by advancing to the semifinal round, winning the $15,000 prize and taking the points lead into the Countdown to the Championship, where he will try to win back-to-back World titles. For the final six events of the season, the points will reset with leader Gadson enjoying just a slight advantage over the rest of the field, including number-two-ranked Smith.
The six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs will officially begin at the next stop, the all-new NHRA Dodge Great Lakes Nationals at U.S. 131 Dragway in Martin, Michigan, September 18-20.CN
2026 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Rnd 8 Results
ROUND ONE — Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 6.857, 195.42 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.878, 194.16; Angie Smith, Buell, 6.780, 198.99 def. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.895, 196.02; Michael Ray, Buell, 6.809, 198.50 def. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.869, 195.34; Geno Scali, Suzuki, 6.869, 195.19 def. John Hall, 6.840, 196.82; Ryan Oehler, 6.788, 198.79 def. Malcolm Phillips Jr., Suzuki, 6.846, 196.67; Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 7.073, 196.50 def. Marc Ingwersen, Foul – Red Light; Matt Smith, Buell, 6.744, 197.19 def. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.959, 188.75; Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.781, 199.29 def. Hector Arana Jr, Foul – Red Light;
QUARTERFINALS — Gadson, 6.856, 196.76 def. Oehler, 6.841, 197.25; A. Smith, 6.796, 198.50 def. Scali, 6.905, 195.19; Herrera, 6.809, 197.83 def. J. Evaristo, 6.886, 196.93; M. Smith, 6.762, 199.88 def. Howey, 6.863, 194.94;
SEMIFINALS — A. Smith, 6.794, 199.14 def. Herrera, 6.791, 198.93; M. Smith, 6.773, 200.26 def. Gadson, 6.878, 197.25;
FINAL
- Matt Smith (Bue) 0.052 / 6.791-198.58 mph
- Angie Smith (Bue) 0.040 / 6.834-194.80 mph
