LAS VEGAS, NV – The first four-wide race of the season is in the books and Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team made strides at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. After four qualifying sessions Hart made continually quicker runs and entered race day at the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals as the No. 12 qualifier. The first round quad was comprised of Brittany Force, Billy Torrence and Jasmine Salinas. It was a tough group of competitors, but Hart felt the two runs on Saturday set his R+L Carriers team up for success.

When all four 12,000 horsepower Top Fuel dragster rolled into their assigned lanes it was Hart in lane two flanked by Force in lane one and Torrence in lane three. Hart was first off the line with a .073 reaction time and at half-track Force had driven past him but he held off Torrence and Salinas to advance to the second round. His win came at a cost as his engine expired at the finish line in a quick ball of flames. His winning time of 3.957 seconds at 275.96 mph was his quickest pass of the weekend and set him up with another race against Force along with Doug Kalitta and Steve Torrence. Continue reading →

Ocala, FL – The 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series has gotten off to a slower than expected start for Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team but improvement in the Arizona desert could pay dividends this weekend at the NHRA Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals. In the first round of the NHRA Arizona Nationals Hart made his smoothest pass of the weekend and during a Monday test session the team saw continued improvement. The prospect of continuing this positive momentum has Hart ready to attack the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals with a vengeance at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“We are always excited to get to the racetrack, but I feel very positive about how we ended Phoenix and then our test session on Monday,” said Hart, who raced to the final quad in the 2023 Las Vegas four-wide national event. “This sport is very humbling, and we are not where we want to be or where I expect to be but the only way to reverse that is hard work. I don’t think anyone is working harder than my R+L Carriers team. I am going to keep my focus on my driving and we’ll see what we can do this weekend at The Strip.” Continue reading →

PHOENIX, AZ – After three NHRA national events in 2024 Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team are moving in the right direction. When you drive 12,000 horse-powered land rocket progress is never fast enough for the Ocala, Florida, entrepreneur. This weekend at the NHRA Arizona Nationals Hart and his Ron Douglas tuned R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster made steady improvement over three qualifying runs entering race day as the No. 11 Top Fuel dragster with a two day best run of 3.820 seconds at 320.81 mph.

“We moved in the right direction Friday and Saturday even with some unseasonably cold weather,” said Hart, a two-time Top Fuel national event winner. “There were a lot of race cars struggling, but we made progress every time down the track and I felt good about our chances today.”

Hart drew Shawn Langdon, the Gatornationals winner and Arizona Nationals winner today. Langdon and Hart had to wait for seven pairs of Top Fuel dragsters to run before they got their shot at the track. Hart was eager to show off what he felt was an improved R+L Carriers and Burnyzz Speed Shop Top Fuel dragster and as both drivers pre-staged and staged they waited for the amber lights to flash. Unfortunately, Hart hit the throttle too early recording an immediate disqualification.

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OCALA, FL – After two races Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will be heading to Firebird Motorsports Park this weekend looking to launch their performance to the next level during NHRA Arizona Nationals in the NHRA Mission Food Drag Racing Series. For Hart, a two-time Top Fuel national event winner, the Arizona Nationals will be the next chance to take the positive runs from the NHRA Gatornationals and NHRA Winternationals and turn on more win lights in pursuit of their first win in 2024. The championship caliber Top Fuel team is led by Crew Chief Ron Douglas and an experienced crew.

“We haven’t reached our full potential recently,” said Hart. “We made some serious parts changes towards the end of the season to get on the same level with our competition and that is still taking some time to work everything out. These Top Fuel dragsters are incredible machines from the standpoint of tuning and driving. Every change affects another element, so this is an ongoing process. This weekend I am looking forward to seeing more improvement.”

Last year as the season wrapped up Hart and his R+L Carriers team won some critical first and second round match-up that had championship implications in the class. The improved performance also moved Hart into the Top Ten and gave the team confidence heading into the off-season. During the pre-season PRO Superstar Shootout held in Bradenton, Florida, Hart was in the mix to race for the $250,000 top prize and as the season began in Gainesville Hart raced to the quarterfinals at his home track.

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POMONA, CA – The focus of the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster and driver Josh Hart remains chasing their first NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series world championship after two races in the 2024 season. A quarterfinal finish at the season opening NHRA Gatornationals was followed this weekend by a tough first round exit in a close race with veteran driver Billy Torrence. Hart entered race day as the No. 14 qualifier, but he was undeterred by his qualifying position and knew he could give the No. 3 qualifier a tough first round race.

“I knew we didn’t get everything we wanted out of qualifying and we lost one round of the three to rain on Saturday,” said Hart, a two-time Top Fuel national event winner. “I was ready for the first round and I knew (crew chief) Ron (Douglas) and the guys made a lot of adjustments overnight to speed us up. We just had to see what we could do with this R+L Carrier Top Fuel dragster in the first round.”

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OCALA, FL – After a busy first race of the season that saw his team host a massive Fanfest at Burnyzz Speed Shop in Ocala in advance of the historic Gatornationals followed by racing in the Pep Boys Top Fuel Allstar Callout for the second year in a row and a quarterfinal finish in the race Josh Hart is ready to focus on more round wins at this weekend’s NHRA Winternationals. Bringing the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team to the West Coast is always a daunting task but Hart enjoys the location and the history of the famed racing facility in Southern California.

“There is a lot of history at this track and the Winternationals,” said Hart, a multi-time NHRA Top Fuel national event winner. “We start the season at two of the most famous facilities in our sport and I have won the Gatornationals so I would love to drive this R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster into the winner’s circle in Pomona this weekend. The team is moving in the right direction and we are getting more runs and data which is what we need.”

The month of March Hart is also focusing attention on his hometown of Huntington, Indiana through a challenge donation led by his wife Brittanie to give back to the community in a big way, through the “Race to Fill the Food Pantry” campaign. Donations made to the United with Love food pantry during the month of March will be matched dollar for dollar up to $10,000. Already donations have come in from races, fans and members of the Huntington community.

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HUNTINGTON, IN – Huntington native Brittanie Hart, wife of professional NHRA Top Fuel racer, Josh Hart, also a Huntington native, is giving back to the community this month in a big way, through the “Race to Fill the Food Pantry” campaign. Donations made to the United with Love food pantry during the month of March will be matched dollar for dollar up to $10,000. Already donations have come in from races, fans and members of the Huntington community.

“We are so grateful to the Hart family, Brittanie, Josh, and their children for supporting our pantry in nourishing our neighbors. In 2023 we had over 8,950 individual visits to our food pantry and we cannot do this alone. This matching donation is critical at this time of the year when donations are down, but the need is unchanged,” said Erin Didion, Executive Director, United with Love of Huntington County.

Every dollar donated will make a difference. Donations can be made by cash or check at the food pantry, mailed to 715 Byron Street, Huntington, IN 46750 or online at https://www.osvhub.com/…/race-to-fill-the-food-pantry . United With Love partners with neighbors to address the barriers that prevent them from reaching their full potential. Their longstanding goal is to lovingly serve all their Huntington and surrounding community neighbors in need and provide stability through Christ-centered services that meet individual needs.

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GAINESVILLE, FL – The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is a marathon not a sprint and Ocala, Florida-based driver and team owner Josh Hart is ready for a long run. The driver of the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster built on his testing sessions in the off-season and came into the NHRA Gatornationals looking to add another Wally to his collection. The 2021 Gatornationals winner and 2023 Pep Boys Allstar Callout winner made strong passes on Friday and Saturday to qualify in the 16-dragster field.

The class will be exceedingly tough with just about every competitor owning national event wins or world championships. Hart was the No. 12 qualifier and he was paired up with 8-time Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher in the first round. Hart was looking to avenge a tough first round loss to Schumacher in 2023. When the cars pulled up to the starting line Hart felt confident and ready to get his first win light of 2024. He grabbed a significant starting line advantage and never trailed in the race posting time of 3.750 seconds at 329.26 mph, nearly equaling his quickest run of qualifying.

“We made big strides this weekend with the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster,” said Hart, a multi-time Top Fuel national event winner. “We started changing our program at the end of last year to get more in line with the rest of the class. They have probably 80 runs and we just passed 20 passes. We will get there. I am not worried.”

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OCALA, FL – Starting the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series at the historic Gatornationals this weekend 2021 winner Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team are eager to get on track. Heading into his fourth season as a Top Fuel team owner and driver Hart will be looking to win the Gatornationals for the second time and defend his Pep Boys Allstar Callout title in the specialty race that will be contested Saturday during the final day of qualifying. The tuning decisions will continue to be handled by veteran crew chief Ron Douglas and Hart’s team remains intact from the 2023 campaign.

Josh Hart and R+L Carriers Top Fuel team in Pep Boys Allstar Callout winner’s circle, photo by Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase
“We have been building a great team since we started in 2021 and went full-time in 2022,” said Hart, a multi-time Top Fuel winner. “We win and lose as a team and we are all ready for this season. I am excited to have R+L Carriers and TechNet back with the team.”

Last year Hart opened the season with the biggest payday of the year winning the Pep Boys Allstar Callout from the No. 8 position. Hart defeated Austin Prock, Brittany Force and Mike Salinas to take the top prize. Unfortunately, the team was not able to double up and Hart was ousted in the first round proving how tough the Top Fuel season would be for the driver from Ocala, Florida.

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