Herfoss pipped at the post in Road Atlanta Thriller

Gillim beats Herfoss by 0.167s in King of the Baggers Race 1 as Smith takes third

Mission King of the Baggers served up a classic at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta as Hayden Gillim and Troy Herfoss took their J&P Cycles/Motul/Vance & Hines Factory Indian machines to the wire in a nine-lap scrap that was decided by just 0.167s, with Gillim emerging the winner.

Gillim started Race 1 from pole but it was Herfoss who launched best, firing the No. 17 Indian into the lead through Turn 1 and up the hill. Gillim’s No. 69 responded immediately, using the extra confidence on the brakes and roll speed to stay glued to his teammate, the pair already beginning to hint at the back-and-forth that would define the race. Behind them, Tyler O’Hara made a sharp early advance on the No. 29 Indian, while the factory Harley-Davidson group formed up in pursuit.

Drama struck early when Kyle Wyman went down, the defending champ crashing out of the race and unable to rejoin. The incident thinned out the battle for the lead and underlined how little margin there is around Road Atlanta, where the fast, flowing opening sector quickly funnels into hard-braking overtaking zones and a draft-heavy run to the final corners.

Herfoss kept the pressure on Gillim at the front, repeatedly showing a willingness to attack on the brakes, and Gillim answering with cleaner drive and stability through the technical Turn 2–Turn 5 sequence. Herfoss looked strongest on the exits that feed the back straight and into the Turn 10 braking area, reeling Gillim back in as the laps ticked down, while Gillim’s edge came from carrying momentum through the high-commitment sections.

As the race settled, Bradley Smith established himself as best of the rest, circulating in third and keeping the leaders honest a few seconds back. Rocco Landers, who had lost ground in the opening exchanges, regrouped into fourth, while O’Hara continued his steady run to fifth. James Rispoli held sixth on the Harley-Davidson, with Jake Lewis seventh and Cory West eighth as the remaining finishers.

In the final laps Herfoss shadowed Gillim, searching for an opening that would let him get alongside into Turn 10 or set up a drag race to the flag. He closed in under braking, but Gillim positioned the No. 69 perfectly through the last corner, defending the inside line to hold Herfoss at bay to the stripe by a razor-thin 0.167s margin.

Herfoss leads the standings on 65 points, eight clear of Gillim on 57, with Smith third on 42 and best of the rest so far. Wyman’s Road Atlanta DNF has dented his title defence, dropping him to fifth on 32 points—33 behind Herfoss.

2026 Road Atlanta King of the Baggers Race 1