INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Richard Gadson wasted no time making an impact in his first National Hot Rod Association Pro Stock Motorcycle season.

He finished third in points in 2024, proving he’s a force to be reckoned with.

It’s been a season to remember for the motorcycle drag racer. Stepping into the NHRA spotlight was a new challenge, but one he was ready for.

“I did not win rookie of the year. Tony Stewart won, but it was a really tight race. They said it was the closest race in the history of the awards, so it was a trying year, I learned a lot, and I hadn’t been new to anything in a lot of years,” Gadson said.

Gadson is no stranger to racing. He’s a third-generation racer, from Philadelphia, who has won five national championships in various racing series in his career. “Twenty years I’ve been racing. I started young. I’ve gained a lot of experience in through timeframe and kind of earned that name as one of the most versatile riders in the country, and I think that just comes from a lot of experience. For a long time, this is all I did.”

When he’s not on the race track going 200 mph in 6 seconds, he works at Vance & Hines Motorsports in Brownsburg as a technician. It’s the same Vance & Hines RevZilla Suzuki team that sponsors him.

“Where I am now is, I guess, the top of the mountain, and the team I’m with right now is definitely the pinnacle of our sport, and they’re industry leaders as far as horsepower and championships,” he said.

During the off-season, Gadson makes sure he stays healthy mentally and physically.

“And finding horsepower. Trying to stay ahead of the competition, trying to figure out a way to be better than them each year, because they don’t know what we’re doing, and we don’t know what they’re doing. We find out when we go to our first race, and that usually sets the tone for the rest of the year.”

His words of advice to aspiring pro motorcycle racers? “You really have to chase your dreams and push until you have to believe they’re possible.”

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