After a dominant season in the Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks, NHRA rider Gaige Herrera could wrap up the world championship at this weekend’s 23rd annual NHRA Nevada Nationals, while reigning Pro Stock world champ Erica Enders looks to win for the tenth time at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Herrera, who has nine wins this season, could claim his first NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series world title this weekend. He currently leads his Vance & Hines teammate Eddie Krawiec by 156 points and reigning world champion Matt Smith by 174.

“You can’t take anything for granted,” Herrera said. “It would be cool to wrap it up in Vegas and I think Vegas will be good. That’s where I first rode for Vance & Hines. I want to say that’s where this whole thing started.”

If Herrera claims the championship this weekend, it will mark his first NHRA title and 14th for the Vance & Hines juggernaut. Titans of the field Matt Hines, Andrew Hines and Krawiec have all delivered the team multiple championships and have mentored Herrera throughout this season.

“It’s cool to get to race with Ed. I’ve learned a lot from him this season. He helps with every race. It’s very intimidating to race him,” Herrera said. “We flipped a coin for lanes in St. Louis. I’ve held him back three times this season from getting his 50th (career) win but he’s going to get it, I’ve got a good feeling.”

Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Enders (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) won the 2022 NHRA Nevada Nationals. This season’s race will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 (FS1), including eliminations at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday. It is the 20th of 21 races during the 2023 season and the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship.

Enders heads to Vegas with the Pro Stock points lead and with more NHRA wins at the facility than any other competitor. She has an impressive nine wins from The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In 2022, she won both the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in the spring as well as the NHRA Nevada Nationals in the fall, where she also clinched her fifth NHRA championship.

“To have things go well in Dallas is huge,” Enders said. “To spread the lead just a little bit going into Vegas where we’ve won nine nationals there and it’s no secret that it’s my favorite place to race because it’s just been so good to us. Coming off a win from Dallas, we’re obviously hopeful to carry that momentum into Las Vegas but then you have Pomona that’s points-and-a-half and it can throw a wrench into your spokes. You just have to put your head down and go to work.”

Following her win in Dallas, Enders became the winningest female across all of motorsports, dethroning Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Angelle Sampey. The win gave Enders 47 national event wins and nudged her into the lead. She’ll also go into Vegas with an 85-point lead over Greg Anderson, with Dallas Glenn and Matt Hartford still in contention.

“As a little kid growing up, Angelle was one of my idols. We had her t-shirts and her autographs and to come full circle, it’s pretty incredible. When we made our pro debut in 2005, I only had one national event Wally in Super Gas and the first seven seasons of my pro career went winless. So, it took us a long time to get here. I can remember it like it was yesterday, tying Shirley Muldowney at 18 when we won the U.S. Nationals in 2015 and now here we are at 47. It’s pretty crazy and to not just have it be drag racing but worldwide throughout all of motorsports is pretty substantial.

“While I want to just be viewed as a driver, it’s pretty badass and I’m super thankful for the opportunity. I never thought we’d be racing that long to get that many wins but here we are. It’s been a long journey and it’s been really fun, and it goes to show if you don’t give up, great things can happen.”

In Top Fuel, Leah Pruett enters the Vegas weekend with a slim four-point lead over Doug Kalitta. Steve Torrence is also just 13 points back. In Funny Car, Pruett’s Tony Stewart Racing teammate, Matt Hagan, jumped into the lead with a Dallas win, but he’ll look to hold off the likes of Bob Tasca III and Robert Hight as he seeks his second straight fall Vegas win.

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 12:00 and 3:00 p.m. PT on Friday, Oct. 27, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 12:00 and 3:00 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. PT on Sunday, Oct. 29. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday with eliminations on FS1 at 5:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.

w/ NHRA Communications