Gaige Herrera completes another record-breaking Pro Stock Motorcycle championship season Courtesy of NHRA

A season later , not much has seemingly changed , as Herrera rode his way to another dominant championship run , again setting records , again reaching double-digit wins , and again remaining as the class of the category on his RevZilla / Mission Foods / Vance & Hines Suzuki .

Herrera won 10 races in 2024 , clinching the championship after his opening-round win in Pomona , posting another unbelievable win-loss record , this time going 50-5 in 2024 . Included in that was wins in the first six races of the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season . That gave him 11 straight victories dating back to last year , breaking the all-time NHRA record for most consecutive wins . That run included

46 straight round wins , another NHRA record , but Herrera insisted this championship and this season almost meant more for him .

“ This is very special . Last year was a dream for me and it almost didn ’ t seem real . This year , I had to prove it wasn ’ t a fluke ,” Herrera said . “ We kind of ran away with it last year and I knew it was going to be tough this year . I have to give it up to the whole team . This team is working day and night . I ’ ve got one of the top bikes out here and I ’ ve just tried to stay consistent .

“ The last two seasons have been incredible . I ’ m just living the dream and having fun with it . Win or lose , I ’ ve got to have fun and I ’ m having a lot of fun right now .”

Herrera posted nine No . 1 qualifiers in 2024 , down from last year but also a nod to the strong improvement from the rest of the class . Herrera ’ s dominant 2023 helped spur that , and he had to deal with challenges all year long , mainly from chief rival Matt Smith , who finished second in points with three wins , six finals , and six No . 1 qualifiers .

He certainly pushed Herrera , who opened the year in dominant fashion with wins at Gainesville , Charlotte , Chicago , Bristol , Richmond , and Norwalk . His first loss of the season finally came in the final round in Seattle , where Chase Van Sant got the best of him , but Herrera was quick to recover , winning the U . S . Nationals for the first time .

It was a meaningful moment for Herrera , who posted a perfect . 000 reaction time in the final round , but there was still adversity to overcome . He lost in the semifinals at the first two races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs , as Smith moved into the points lead . Herrera , though , recovered in St . Louis , rolling to the win and moving back to the points lead .

That keyed a three-race winning streak that pushed him to the championship , including a final-round win over Smith in Dallas . It handed Herrera his 20th career victory in his 34th career race , reaching the 20-win milestone quicker than any driver in NHRA history .

For good measure , the 21st – and 10th of the season – came a race later in Las Vegas , opening up a points lead that all but guaranteed the title in Pomona . In the end , it meant another dominant season for Herrera , who now has an unbelievable record of 100-9 the past two years and 21 wins in his last 30 starts . Both are jaw-dropping numbers and Herrera hasn ’ t taken a minute of it for granted .

He continues to praise the work of his team and crew chief Andrew Hines , remaining hopeful this meteoric pace can continue to be possible in 2025 .

“ Indy was a huge highlight ,” Herrera said . “ That was my debut ( two years ago ) and to have a perfect reaction time and win there , it was the top . Then , getting the championship here ( in Pomona ) meant a lot . I was pushing myself to the limit and Andrew was pushing the bike to the limit , all to try and stay at the top . We were definitely pushing all year . I pushed myself more this year , so this championship means a lot to me and I ’ m excited for next season .

“ I never thought I would win a championship or even a race in Pro Stock Motorcycle , so it means a lot to win two in a row . But I think it means even more for this team . Andrew and everyone at the shop deserves this , and I ’ m lucky to be able to showcase how much work they put into it . Next year is going to even more challenging , but I ’ m looking forward to it .” DI

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF NHRA