Matt Smith Doubles Down, Wants NHRA to Level Playing Field in Pro Stock Motorcycle

• Defending Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Gaige Herrera saw his 11-race winning streak dating back to last September ended on Sunday.

• Herrera's dominance hasn't sat well with at least one rival.

• That rival, Matt Smith, this week has offered up a a few solutions to bring Herrera's Vance & Hines machine to the pack.

On the same weekend that NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Gaige Herrera saw his series-record 11-event winning streak snapped, rival Matt Smith came down hard on the NHRA, saying that without some parity in the class, car counts will drop.

Smith went to far as to threaten to pull his five motorcycles from the class because he felt like the only way another rider would able to knock off the Vance & Hines machines of Herrera was if they broke. To show what such a boycott might look like, Smith pulled his team's bikes from a Friday qualifying session at this past weekend's NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways near Seattle.

As it turned out, Chase Van Sant edged Herrera in the elimination finals.

Smith is still not happy.

On Tuesday, during a Zoom meeting with the media, Smith doubled down on his displeasure with the current state of the Pro Stock Motorcycle class and the lopsided lead that Herrera has built in the standings. Herrera has won six of the seven events this season and has racked up 847 points. Smith is second in the points with 547. Richard Gadson, another rider from the Vance & Hines stable, is third with 500.

The Herrera domination is not just a one-year blip, either. Herrera won the last five events of 2023—a season that saw him win 11 of 15 en route to the championship. Herrera said that while the 11-race winning streak was special, the loss to Van Sant takes off at least a little of the pressure and stress that comes with such a streak.

"Yeah, it allows me to breathe," Herrera said. "I feel like we're not so concerned about getting the next round win, trying to keep it going. I was so happy for Chase, for him to get that win. That was his race to win. He had the better light, he had the fastest motorcycle that round. My hat's off to him.

"It's definitely a lot of weight off my shoulders. Now, it's basically like we're starting over."

That's not exactly the way Smith sees it. He said that Herrera and the Vance & Hines machines are still top-heavy favorites every week.

Herrera hears the criticism. He said that he can see where some might not think one bike dominating the class by so much for so long is a good thing.

"It goes both ways," Herrera said. "Yeah, it's cool, and then in another way, it might have been hurting the class a little bit. As a (rival) racer, it could take away wanting to go race. It's hard to say.

"It was an incredible streak. I'm not going to lie. I'm kind of glad it's done, that Chase stopped it. It's off my back now and I can just focus on racing now. I feel like a lot of people kind of expected it to go all season, and to be honest, I did not want it to go all season. I'm glad to see Chase go out there and get his first win—and there's going to be a lot of other winners this year.

"I feel like the parity is a lot better now."

Smith, a 38-time winner in NHRA competition, is not as optimistic that the class suddenly has become more wide open with Herrera's first loss since last September at Reading.

"I really don't think the parity is there," Smith said. "The Gen 1's are a little behind and I think the Monster Suzuki motors are behind. Those two need help somehow. I think Gaige still has the dominate bike out there."

Smith says the teams can only do so much to close the current gap and that the NHRA needs to step in.

"The series should do something," Smith said. "Plain and simple, this is a parity class. It's not like Pro Stock car, where they all have the same stuff. We are a parity class and it has to come to the fact that they have to do a better job of keeping parity."

Smith points to the fact that that NHRA has found ways to keep parity in the Pro Mod class, a class that runs multiple engine combinations.

"It's not different than where we're at," Smith said. "Just because one brand will 60-foot better, and another brand will run more speed, (NHRA) has to do a their job to keep parity because ET is what parity is. It doesn't matter what the speed is, it doesn't matter what the 60-foot is—it's the quarter-mile ET is what parity is. They do that in Pro Mod, they do that in Factory Stock and Pro Stock car. It's NHRA's job to do that."

So the question begs, what would be the best way to achieve that parity? Slow down the Vance & Hines of Gaige Herrera? Find more speed for those trying to catch up?

"I don't know how we can slow down the Vance & Hines four-valve motor down enough to get the parity right," Smith said. "Honestly, I think in the grand scheme of things, I think they need to be slowed down a little bit. The Gen 2 motors that we have, we need to be slowed down a little bit—but (Vance & Hines) need to be slowed down more.

"I think they have an advantage over us. I think we have an advantage over Hector Arena Jr. (Buell), and I think we all have an advantage over the Monster head. Theoretically, I think all of us need to be hit a little bit, somehow or another.

"I suggested before the meeting we had at Norwalk to make the Vance & Hines four-valve motors go to 660 (pounds)—that will put 15 pounds on them. I said put 10 pounds on the Gen 2 motors and leave the Gen 1 motors alone, leave Steve Johnson (Racing) alone. That would slow the top guys down a bit to try and even this class.

"Is that a fix? I don't think that's a fix. But that was a start."

Smith said that there was some safety concerns raised about having having the heavier 660 pound bikes on the track.

"Well, Harleys back in the day were 660 and they stopped just fine. So, we've been to that point before.

"All I'm trying to do is make parity in this class. I want good, close racing between everybody. Everybody needs a chance—not just my team, not just Hector's team, not just Steve Johnson. We all need shots at winning races."