NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Jianna Evaristo is turning things around this 2026 season. Not only is she picking up her performance on track, but she’s also focusing on getting back to having fun. The California native admits that last season she was in a rut, and one thing she’s not doing is comparing her performance last year to this year.

“I really struggled last year,” Evaristo admitted. “I didn't have much fun, and so that was the big conversation this year with my team, they're like, just have fun. So that's been my big thing this year, just taking each race and each run, one run at a time, and just really focusing on enjoying myself, having fun. Everybody always says, the more fun you have, the easier the runs get, and the performance will come and I've seen that. I've been doing really well.”

On track though, Evaristo has been specifically working on her reaction time, which she explained she had been struggling with for a couple of years. But now, the Pro Stock Motorcycle rider feels like she has a good hold on it.

“We're almost in the countdown, and it's like it went by really fast, which is really exciting because I think it's going to be a really good year,” she said. “The class is extremely competitive this year, and it's very, very tight. So I'm just focusing on finishing these last couple races before the countdown - do everything I can to make consistent runs and then hopefully just have some fun.”

As we enter the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Evaristo has reached one semifinal this year - the Potomac NHRA Nationals.

“It was like a really good breath of fresh air,” Evaristo said. “I was like, okay, this is what I needed.”

However, that event tested the Matt Smith Racing team as Smith spent some time in the hospital with gallbladder issues. The MSR team was able to pull off a win, specifically Angie Smith, and it has allowed Evaristo to maybe get a little extra coaching from Matt, since he is sidelined due to health issues.

“It's actually been really cool because he's had more time to kind of watch us on the line,” she explained. “There were a few things at the last race, he said, ‘I never had the chance to really watch you the way I can now because I'm not really worried about having to run back to my bike.’ He was helping me, pointing out some little things that I'm doing. It's a cool opportunity for him to get a different perspective.”

Heading into the weekend, Evaristo is excited for many reasons. Of course, she’s concentrated on making consistent runs in qualifying and having fun on her JHG/Scrappers/Denso/MSR Buell. Off the track, Evaristo is looking forward to defending her title as the Norwalk Nationals Ice Cream Eating Contest Champion.

“It’d be really cool to win four years in a row, “Evaristo shared, laughing, “but win or lose, I'm just really happy to see how far the competition has come, because the first year I was doing it, everyone was like, oh, yeah, cool, like, whatever. Now this year it's a huge deal. There’s been a lot of smack-talking between the people who are competing with me. Now, I have fans messaging me, saying I came here just for this.”

Finally, Evaristo can always count on her family’s support, whether they are at the track with her or backing her from afar.

“Jasmine [my sister] does her best to try to come out to all the races,” Evaristo said. “She and my husband will kind of switch off and on, but they're always watching, they're always texting, and I still have a lot of support from them, even though they aren't physically here, which is really nice because I can't imagine not having that support. I really don't think I could do it out here just because it's so difficult. I’m very lucky to have them in my corner.”