A Season of Firsts: How Richard Gadson Captured the 2025 NHRA Title

Some guys are born into this sport, and then there’s Richard Gadson. For him, motorcycle racing isn’t just a hobby or a career path. It’s practically in his DNA. With a family lineage that includes his uncle Ricky, his dad, and even his grandparents tearing up the asphalt, Gadson never really had a “Plan B.” It was always going to be bikes.

But knowing where you want to go and actually getting there are two very different things. After years of grinding, winning titles in other organizations, and waiting for his shot at the big time, Gadson finally got the call to join the legendary Vance & Hines team. And after a rookie season in 2024 that was full of promise but short on hardware, 2025 became the year everything finally clicked.

From Rookie Struggles to Championship Contender

Let’s be honest, the 2024 season was tough. Gadson showed he had the talent, navigating his rookie year without a single first-round loss, which is a wild stat on its own. But watching from the sidelines while teammates or rivals hoist the Wally trophy can eat at you.

He finished third that year, a respectable debut by any standard, but for a competitor like Gadson, “respectable” doesn’t fill the trophy case.He entered the 2025 season with a chip on his shoulder and a point to prove. He wasn’t just happy to be there anymore; he wanted to dominate.

“Last year was a really hard season to get through,” Gadson admitted, reflecting on the mental toll of coming close but not quite sealing the deal. “This year, we were still trying to find that groove.”

The Turning Point in Bristol

That groove finally showed up in Thunder Valley. The Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol became the moment the narrative shifted. Gadson didn’t just win; he won on a holeshot against his own teammate, the defending world champ Gaige Herrera.

That first victory is always the hardest, but once the dam broke, the floodwaters came. That win in Bristol did something to Gadson’s confidence. He suddenly realized he didn’t just belong in the class. He could rule it.”Once we found it around Charlotte 1 and then Bristol, you kind of started to feel like you belonged,” he said. “Feeling like you can run at the top of the class.”

He followed that up with a massive performance in Sonoma, locking down the No. 1 qualifier spot and taking home the trophy. The momentum was building, and you could feel the energy in the pits shifting toward the No. 23 bike.

Gadson vs. Herrera: A Teammate Duel

The back half of the season turned into a heavyweight bout between Gadson and Herrera. It’s a unique kind of pressure when your biggest rival is pitted right next to you in the workspace. Gadson has nothing but respect for Herrera, acknowledging how he and Andrew Hines have raised the bar for the entire sport.

But respect doesn’t mean you let off the gas.Gadson took the points lead in Charlotte and refused to give it back. His performance in Dallas was perhaps the highlight of the year, qualifying No. 1 and holding off young gun Brayden Davis in the final.

That win gave him the cushion he desperately needed because Las Vegas didn’t go to plan. An early exit for Gadson and a win for Herrera shrank the lead to a razor-thin 21 points heading into the finals in Pomona.

Rain, Nerves, and the Ultimate Relief

You couldn’t script a more nerve-wracking finale. Gadson sat in Pomona for days, watching the rain fall, knowing that the championship was agonizingly close. If they raced, it was a winner-take-all scenario. If Mother Nature had won, Gadson would have taken the title.

“I went through every emotion you could think of this weekend,” Gadson said about the rain delay. “It was way too much time to think.”Ultimately, the officials had to make the tough call to cancel the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals. It might not be the way everyone dreams of winning, taking the checkered flag at 200 mph is usually the preference, but the history books don’t ask about the weather.

They just ask who had the most points. And that man was Richard Gadson. He credited his crew chief, Eddie Krawiec, for helping him evolve as a rider this year. The two shared a mindset of needing to dig deep and find that extra gear to compete with the best.

A Lasting Impression

So, after a lifetime of chasing this specific dream, Richard Gadson is finally the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion. It was a chaotic, emotional, and rain-soaked end to the season, but for a guy who has lived and breathed motorcycles since he was a kid, the view from the top is perfect.