IRVINE, Calif. — Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin will roll into Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway this week riding high with a level of confidence that only comes from winning two Daytona 200s in a row, and three overall.
He’s not “Mr. Daytona” yet, but a fourth win would put him just one trip to Victory Lane away from making it a three-way tie with Scott Russell and Miguel Duhamel, who both have five wins.
But first things first. There’s a race to be run and it is historically one of the more difficult to win. You need to be quick, and you need a motorcycle that is fast and a pit crew that is both fast and mistake-free. You also need to have the instinct of being in the right place at the right time to win a last-lap battle to the tri-oval and the checkered flag that awaits there.
And you need Lady Luck riding pillion.
Case in point: Most of the winners of the Daytona 200 have only won once in the race’s 82-year history. Seven racers have won twice, six have won three and one has won four. Only Russell and Duhamel have won five.
And none of them have won three in a row.
Herrin and his three victories will be joined on the grid by another multi-time winner, TOBC Racing’s Danny Eslick. “Slick” has four Daytona 200 wins (2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018) and he’s back for another try in 2025.
Herrin’s first win, meanwhile, came in 2010, 14 years before his third win in the 82nd edition of “The Great American Motorcycle Race” this past March.
The Daytona 200 – Can Someone Stop Herrin?
Thirty-six riders will attempt to qualify for the 83rd running of the Daytona 200 on five different brands of motorcycles. The grid is again international with riders from six different countries represented with the Brits leading the foreign charge with six entries, one of whom is a 14-time Isle of Man TT winner and the all-time lap record holder on the Island with an average speed of 136.358 mph – Peter Hickman. The PHR Performance Triumph-mounted Hickman will be making his second start in the 200 after making his debut in the race last year.
Speaking of the TT, Northern Ireland’s Michael Dunlop (yes, the 29-time Isle of Man TT winner) will make his Daytona debut this week, riding a Milwaukee Ducati MD Racing Panigale V2. You’d think Daytona would be eye-opening for a first-timer, but that likely won’t be the case for someone with 29 Isle of Man TT victories. He’s seen scary.
Last year, the Daytona 200 wasn’t the thriller we’ve come to expect. As always, there was a large pack of riders in the lead group until the pack was thinned down during the first pit stop. For all practical purposes, Herrin won the race in the first pit stop with his team turning in a quick performance while his closest challenger, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante, had a stop that was quite the opposite. From that point forward, Herrin was never threatened.
Escalante will be back this year, hoping Lady Luck speaks better Spanish than she does English. Escalante was robbed of what seemed to be a sure second place last year when he ran out of gas, coasting around for what would end up being a fourth-place finish. On the track, Escalante was fifth, but he moved up a spot when Bobby Fong was DQ’d for having a fuel tank that exceeded the legal size.
Escalante’s teammate, 19-year-old Tyler Scott, will be back with another year of racing under his belt. Scott took full advantage of Escalante’s bad luck last year to finish second, some 45 seconds behind Herrin. Scott did a lot of learning, and he should prove to be a threat in this year’s big race.
Hayden Gillim rode the Vesrah Suzuki to third place last year, but he won’t be racing in this year’s 200. The fan-favorite will, however, be in the two Mission King Of The Baggers races this weekend.
The fastest of the Brits in 2024 was Hickman’s PHR Performance Triumph teammate, Richard Cooper. Cooper is one to watch for as he ran in the lead pack until a crash took him out of the race.
As previously mentioned, four-time Daytona 200 winner Danny Eslick is entered for the 200 on a TOBC Racing Triumph Street Triple 765 RS. Eslick certainly isn’t a favorite to win a fifth 200, but this is Daytona. Anything can happen.
Brandon Paasch has two Daytona 200 wins to his credit, and he’s self-entered on another TOBC Racing Triumph. Paasch is serious about Daytona and is spending his own money to make it happen. If he pulls it all together, he is an obvious favorite.
Another Daytona first timer with a wealth of racing experience is Brit Danny Webb. Webb, a former 125cc GP, Moto3, World Supersport, Endurance World Championship, and Isle of Man TT competitor, will ride a Team Classic Suzuki GSX-R750 in the 200.
The Truelove brothers, Harry and Matt, are back for another Daytona 200 on their Truelove Brothers Racing Suzuki GSX-R750s.
