BRISTOL, TN – After two solid days of qualifying on a tricky track Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team rolled into race day as the No. 3 qualifier. The second-year driver and team owner came out of the hauler and ran to the No. 2 spot on the ladder and grabbed two qualifying bonus points on Friday night. Hart and his Ron Douglas tuned 11,000 horsepower R+L Carriers backed up his 3.791 second run with two solid runs on a hot and slippery track of 3.895 and 3.816 seconds on Saturday. Coming into race day Hart was looking to move up in the Top Fuel point standings.

The Top Fuel rookie standout from 2021 was racing the 2020 Rookie of the Year, Justin Ashley, in the first round featuring two of the top rising stars of the sport. Both dragsters launched hard and were side-by-side as they flew across half-track. As the finish line closed in, Ashley edged his dragster out in front by a nose and was able to hold off a charging Hart and R+L Carriers dragster. Hart’s 3.827 second pass was just a shade off his best run from Saturday under similar conditions and would have been quick enough to advance in a number of other first round match-ups.

“We just lost a close drag race,” said Hart. “I will always take the positive from this sport and the good news is we have a consistent race car that I know will win us a lot of rounds. This R+L Carriers team will be ready for Norwalk. I am putting this race behind me and we will be back at it in five days which is great.”

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OCALA, FL – Last year Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team attempted to tackle the historic Thunder Valley for the first time during the rescheduled NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. A strong qualifying effort did not translate into success for the then rookie driver but the experience of racing at one of the most iconic sites on the NHRA tour gives Hart confidence rolling into Bristol Dragway less than a year later. Competing on the traditional date of Father’s Day weekend has the Ocala, Florida based racer ready to make his own history as a second-year team owner and driver.

“Last year we were winding down our first season where we had a lot of success, but Bristol didn’t go our way,” said Hart, who won twice in his debut season. “We have expanded our team and have been building for future success this season. There is no doubt there have been some bumps in the road, but we aren’t looking backwards. I feel really good about our chances this weekend at the Thunder Valley Nationals.”

In his rookie season Hart won his first Top Fuel event and followed that up with a win during the Countdown. He also raced to multiple semifinals competing on a reduced schedule of thirteen races. Support from R+L Carriers and TechNet paved the way for Hart to pursue his Top Fuel dream. Over the off-season Hart invested in new equipment and solidified his plan for making a run at the NHRA Top Fuel world championship. With a brand new 11,000 horsepower Top Fuel dragster Hart along with crew chief and business partner Ron Douglas have wrangled with a variety of gremlins that have cut short several promising races.

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EPPING, NH – Josh Hart’s first appearance at the New England Nationals did not go as planned for the two-time Top Fuel national event winner. In qualifying Hart and his R+L Carriers Top Fuel team came off the trailer with a strong run Friday night to give the team some much needed positive momentum heading into the weekend. Hart made the fourth quickest runs in both Q1 and Q2. Hart had the fifth quickest run of Q3 to further give the team much needed positive data. Those three runs set up the driver from Ocala, Florida, who also receives support from TechNet on his Top Fuel operation, for a first round match-up with No. 12 qualifier Shawn Langdon.

Hart’s three qualifying passes were all consistent runs in the 3.70s spanning 3.745 seconds to 3.731 seconds to 3.771 seconds with a top speed of 328.94 mph. Crew chief Ron Douglas was feeling confident going into the first round on race day. Over the first seven races the team has battled a variety of gremlins and continued to forge ahead maintaining their position in the Top Ten.

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OCALA, FL – For the third time this season Josh Hart and his R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will be making a debut appearance at a new stop on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. To date the second year Top Fuel team owner and driver has stepped up to the challenge advancing to at least the quarterfinals at the conclusion of his first races at both the Arizona Nationals and then two weeks ago at the Virginia Nationals where he qualified 13th and grabbed an upset win over Clay Millican before dropping the quarterfinal race to Mike Salinas.

“I love the challenge of every race but getting to race this R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster in front of a whole new group of fans is pretty exciting,” said Hart, who is sitting 7th in the Top Fuel point standings. “Our goal with this team is to win races and introduce R+L Carriers and their exciting career opportunities to people across the country. Getting to meet fans this weekend at New England Dragway will be a wonderful experience for everyone.”

The start to his sophomore Top Fuel season has been a challenge for the multi-class winner. A variety of new car shakedown gremlins have popped up at inopportune times for Hart and his team. They are heading into the eighth race with a brand new 11,000 Top Fuel dragster that crew chief Ron Douglas has been making positive strides with all season. Highlights have included a semifinal finish at the Arizona Nationals and an appearance in the final quad of the Carolina Four-Wide Nationals that netted another semifinal points finish.

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RICHMOND, VA – Josh Hart and the TechNet Top Fuel dragster team showed their resiliency and mental toughness battling through two days of tricky qualifying conditions. Friday and Saturday as rain showers moved through the Richmond, Virginia area delaying qualifying times and shuffling track temperatures. The team gave each qualifying run their best effort but did not see the results they were looking for. They moved into race day at the No. 13 qualifier on the strength of his final qualifying pass, 3.842 seconds. Hart knew that at NHRA national events like the Virginia Nationals the key is to get into the show because anything can happen on race day.

“We didn’t have the results we are accustomed to in qualifying,” said Hart, after three rounds of qualifying. “We missed the tune-up just a little and unfortunately the track wasn’t very forgiving for anyone. The good news is I have an amazing team of talented people led by Ron Douglas, so we have a solid gameplan for race day.”

In the first round Hart faced veteran Clay Millican who he dropped a close semifinal race to at the Arizona Nationals. The second-year driver held a 1-2 record against Millican going into today’s race.  When both cars launched Millican went into immediate smoke and Hart took off on a smooth, quick run. His winning time of 3.801 seconds was his quickest run of the weekend and a testament to his team’s work ethic. The round win evened his head-to-head record with Millican and advanced the young driver to at least the quarterfinals for the fourth time this season.

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RICHMOND, VA – For the second time in the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series second year driver Josh Hart will race at a new national event track for the first time in his young professional career. This weekend when the NHRA returns to Virginia Motorsports Park for the Virginia Nationals, Hart and his TechNet Top Fuel dragster team will make their first passes at the fast track located an hour from the nation’s capital. The track will not be completely unknown to the two-time Top Fuel national event winner since he has experience racing Top Alcohol Dragster on the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series at three regional events. In 2019 Hart ran his career quickest elapsed time in a Top Alcohol Dragster, 5.132 seconds, in a round one victory at Virginia Motorsports Park.

“I have experience from my Top Alcohol Dragster days in Virginia, but we haven’t raced in Virginia in a couple years,” said Hart. “I set my elapsed time record for Top Alcohol Dragster at that track, so I feel pretty good about returning. The biggest difference will be racing my TechNet Top Fuel dragster at over 320 mph but after the first pass I know it will be all good.”

Hart had a very successful career in the Top Alcohol Dragster ranks before making the jump to Top Fuel in 2021 running a partial schedule. The racer from Ocala, Florida, had a strategic plan to launch his professional career and support from TechNet and R+L Carriers was instrumental in putting his development and success on the fast track. He won his first professional national event, the 2021 NHRA Gatornationals and then added a second Top Fuel win during the NHRA Countdown in Charlotte, North Carolina. Through 13 races last season he also added an additional four semifinal appearances.

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CONCORD, NC – Josh Hart came into zMax Dragway with a dominating 6-1 career record in his two previous appearances. The second-year driver of the TechNet Top Fuel dragster that also enjoys support from R+L Carriers throughout the season took full advantage of four rounds of qualifying at the Circle K Four-Wide Nationals. This season Hart and his crew chief Ron Douglas have been breaking in a brand new 11,000 horsepower Top Fuel dragster and they both feel in the past two weeks they have turned an important corner.

Through two days of qualifying Hart drove the TechNet dragster to three runs within a tenth of a second, 3.780, 3.778 and 3.789 seconds respectively, with a stellar run of 3.715 seconds on Friday night under the lights. That kind of quickness and more importantly, that consistency had eluded Hart for the first five races of the season. He moved into race day as the No. 6 qualifier and was joined in his opening quad by world champions Shawn Langdon and Steve Torrence along with veteran Clay Millican.

Hart had a strong car that powered him to the finish line right behind veteran Clay Millican in front of Langdon and Torrence. Hart and Millican stopped a dominant four race win streak by Torrence which extended back to 2017. Hart’s round advancing time of 3.735 seconds was his second quickest run of the weekend and just a tick off the pace of his Friday night qualifying run.

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CHARLOTTE, NC – Every racer eventually finds a race track that for whatever reason they have consistent success throughout their career. This weekend Josh Hart is hoping zMax Dragway outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, will become that track for the second year Top Fuel racer. The team will be racing under the TechNet banner for the first time this season. They will be riding with the two-time Top Fuel winner at the Richmond national event as well. Hart’s relationship with TechNet extends well behind the pit area of his race team.

“I am excited to be running the TechNet Top Fuel dragster this weekend in Charlotte and for the next couple of races,” said Hart, who owns and operates Burnyzz Speed Shop in Ocala, Florida. “They are an amazing partner for us at the track and at Burnyzz. We are proud to be a part of the TechNet family because they do things the way I do things which is offering only the best service and exceptional care.”

TechNet Professional Automotive Service is an elite network of more than 15,000 repair shops across North America. They are locally owned and care about delivering exceptional customer care and service. Their staff is well-trained and only uses quality parts. Much like Burnyzz Speed Shop that are also very tied into their local communities.

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BAYTOWN, TX – A packed house of fans were in attendance for the 35th NHRA SpringNationals and second year Top Fuel racer Josh Hart from Ocala, Florida, took advantage of the three days of Texas hospitality to improve his performance behind the wheel of the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster and talk about the wide variety of career opportunities open to the Texas fans. Through two days of qualifying in the Texas heat Hart made three passes with his final pass lighting up the scoreboard with a run of 3.806 seconds at 325.22 mph. It was continued improvement and set the team up to be aggressive with slightly cooler temperatures during the critical round one race today.

As the season has unfolded Hart and his crew chief Ron Douglas have been shaking down a brand-new Top Fuel dragster. After four races the duo managed to figure out several issues and entered Houston looking to accumulate valuable data that will pay dividends as the spring and summer season unfolds. The information they picked up in the final round of qualifying combined with their successful semifinal finish in Phoenix had the R+L Carriers team looking forward to a long day of racing.

In the opening round Hart was first off the starting line but shortly after that as his 11,000-horsepower dragster was accelerating down track his Goodyear slicks lost traction. The two-time Top Fuel winner was forced to watch his opponent make a smooth run in the neighboring lane. Every run yields valuable data for the race team and even in a losing effort the team now has a better handle on how aggressive they can be in the future under similar conditions.

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HOUSTON – For almost 35 years Houston Raceway Park has been making NHRA history with record setting performances and some of the most exciting racing action in the southwest. This weekend they will host their final NHRA national event and professional drag racing at the track located in Baytown, Texas, just 20 minutes from Houston, will turn on its final winlight Sunday afternoon. Second year Top Fuel racer Josh Hart will be looking to erase the memory of a tough outing when he returns driving his R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster.

Last season persistent rain showers washed away two of the three qualifying sessions, so Hart was only given one shot at the track. He qualified No. 7 and lost a tough first round race to Shawn Langdon, who he had previously defeated to win the 2021 Gatornationals. Hart’s R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster lost a motor in dramatic and frustrating fashion for the then rookie driver.

“My only experience in Houston was not good,” said Hart. “I would love to go out on a positive note. You hate to see a track go away but hopefully it is onward and upwards for the series. Having the last race in Houston is awesome and terrible at the same time.”

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