Gillim Clinches 2026 King Of The Baggers Title

Hayden Gillim won his second King of the Baggers Championship after splitting wins with Bradley Smith at Circuit of the Americas. Gillim also won the title in 2023 riding for the Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson team, and after the team switched to Indian this season, he became the first rider to win the title for two different manufacturers.

Gillim arrived at COTA with a 23-point lead over teammate Troy Herfoss and a 54-point gap over Harley-Davidson x Dynojet rider Smith. Gillim took Race 1 ahead of Smith and teammate Rocco Landers, while Herfoss retired after a crash on his third lap.

That result set up Race 2 on Sunday, where all Gillim needed to do was manage the gap rather than win outright. Gillim passed Herfoss on the opening lap but ceded the lead to Smith on the fourth lap. Smith held on to win by 4.717 seconds while Gillim held off SDI Racing’s Tyler O’Hara to finish second. Herfoss finished off the podium in fifth, behind Harley-Davidson’s James Rispoli.

With only a maximum of 50 points remaining across the two-race New Jersey finale, Gillim’s 54-point cushion over Smith was enough to secure his second King of the Baggers crown.

“We didn’t get the bikes until late and got one test in before the season started, and we came out winning,” said Gillim, who won 8 of 12 races heading into New Jersey. “To be able to finish it early is pretty special, especially against the guys that we’re racing against.”

Smith led the Harley-Davidson x Dynojet effort off the front early Sunday. Gillim grabbed the holeshot. But Smith passed for the lead on lap four, stuck a move at Turn 13, and pulled away to a comfortable win. “I knew I could put Hayden under some pressure as he’d be thinking about the championship,” Smith said. “I stuck it in at turn 13 and stayed a little longer on the brakes to make the pass and then brought it home.” The victory was Smith’s second of the season and moved him to second in the standings.

The 2026 season closes September 25–27 at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

2026 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Top Ten Standings

Pos.

#

Rider

Total

1

69

Hayden Gillim

251

2

38

Bradley Smith

197

3

17

Troy Herfoss

194

4

29

Tyler O’Hara

141

5

1

Kyle Wyman

134

6

43

James Rispoli

132

7

97

Rocco Landers

118

8

85

Jake Lewis

83

9

88

Max Flinders

67

10

78

Kyle Ohnsorg

59

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