LAS VEGAS – The NHRA Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals was a new experience for Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team. As the event concluded Hart will take a few positives from a short race day to the next event. There were four qualifying runs this weekend to give every team the chance to make a pass in each lane of competition. In an unfortunate twist Hart bypassed the second session to track down an issue in his 11,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster that carried over from the NHRA Gatornationals. The team moved to a structured qualifying schedule to ensure peak performance beyond this weekend.

“We had an issue with a tool that is very crucial. That is what caused our demise in Gainesville and it carried over to our first qualifying round on Friday,” said Hart, the 2021 Gatornationals winner. “That is why for the first time in my career I skipped a qualifying session just to regroup and check everything. We found the issue, thank goodness, so we played it safe on the first run on Saturday and only made a planned half-track pass. Everything was fine and we played it safe in the final qualifier to make sure everything was all set for race day.”

At the end of the day on Saturday Hart was sitting No. 10 in the qualifying order. The strategy set the team up to get aggressive in the first round on Sunday. In his quad Hart was squaring off in what was recognized in the opening ceremonies as the “Marquee Match-Up” between Hart, reigning Top Fuel champion Steve Torrence, Brittany Force and Cameron Ferre. In an epic race Torrence posted low elapsed time of the event to reach the finish line first and Hart was just a shade behind Force to get the second slot to advance to the next round. Hart’s scoreboard flashed with a weekends’ quickest elapsed time of 3.798 seconds at 326 mph.

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LAS VEGAS, NV – For Top Fuel racer Josh Hart his second season on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series still has several first-time experiences. Racing on a part-time schedule last year Hart, whose homebase is in Ocala, Florida, won twice and raced to four additional semifinal finishes in just thirteen national events. The rookie driver established himself as one of the best drivers off the starting line and owner of a team that was a high-performance player. One of his semifinals was his first four-wide experience at the Charlotte national event so the return to the unique format will be familiar.

“Last year at our first four-wide race we made it to the final round of four dragsters,” said Hart. “I don’t mind the four-wide format and you just have to pay attention to what you are doing and not worry about anyone else. In that respect it is the same as a traditional drag race. I am looking forward to getting four runs on the track and then seeing what we can do on Sunday.”

At the Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals Hart qualified No. 4 and then advanced by outrunning Billy Torrence and Kyle Wurtzel in the first quad and then moving to the final quad along with Brittany Force ahead of Doug Kalitta and Clay MIlican. In the final quad Hart was a semifinalist along with Antron Brown as Steve Torrence and Force were the first two to the finish line stripe.

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GAINESVILLE, FL – After two days of torrential rain and plummeting temperatures defending Gatornationals winner Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team narrowly missed advancing to the quarterfinals today at Gainesville Raceway. Friday’s qualifying action was cancelled, and each team only had one shot at the track on Saturday. Hart’s Ron Douglas tuned 11,000 horsepower Top Fuel dragster powered down a very cool race track yesterday posting a 3.783 second run at 306.88 mph which was quick enough to set him up as the No. 11 qualifier out of 20 Top Fuel dragsters attempting to race on Sunday.

“I am very comfortable in this R+L Carrier dragster,” said Hart. “I had a good reaction time. I think we are still learning the new car and working with all the new technology we didn’t have last year. This was a big learning event for us. That is the biggest take-away from this weekend.”

In the first round Hart was paired up with one of the other rising stars of the NHRA, No. 6 qualifier Justin Ashley and his Phillips Connect Top Fuel dragster. Each of these drivers are recognized as two of the best drivers off the starting line and Hart rose to the occasion getting the jump on Ashley with a nearly perfect .014 reaction time in front of Ashley’s respectable .066 reaction time.

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OCALA, FL – Last year Josh Hart became just the eighth driver to win his professional national event debut race.  It was the first time a racer had accomplished this feat in Top Fuel in two decades. Not since Darrell Russell won the Winternationals in 2001, had a rookie Top Fuel driver turned on four win light in their first four passes. For Hart it was a magical day that included having his friend and mentor “Big Daddy” Don Garlits on hand to celebrate. The win catapulted Hart into the mix of serious Top Fuel contenders and the rookie driver lived up to the billing, winning once more and racing to four more semifinal finishes in just 13 races last season.

“Big Daddy is always floating around and being supportive,” said Hart. “He was with me when I got my alcohol license. Gainesville was no different, there were just a lot more people watching. That was a great win, but we used that to continue to build our program. We made some good runs in Phoenix and we are moving in the right direction.”

The team Hart has built is rolling into the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season with a brand new race car and all the tools needed to make a run for the Top Fuel world championship. Hart tested in Phoenix before the season started and most recently raced to a semifinal finish at the NHRA Arizona Nationals. It was the positive momentum the driver from Ocala, Florida, was looking for heading to his home track and the site of his first Top Fuel victory.

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OCALA, FL – Top Fuel racer Josh Hart has built a variety of businesses centered around speed, customization, and restoration. It only makes sense that the Ocala entrepreneur would also be involved in helping car collectors and enthusiasts add hot rods, high performance vehicles and iconic cars to their collections through a marketing relationship with Show Stoppers Collector Car Auctions. During the NHRA Gatornationals Hart’s R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster will feature major branding promoting the upcoming Ocala auction on March 25-26 at the Equestrian Center in Expo 2.

“I love everything about cars from racing them to refurbishing them to helping them find the perfect home which is why I got involved with the Show Stoppers Collector Car Auction. They are a perfect sponsor for our team and our NHRA fans,” said Hart, a two-time Top Fuel national event winner. “There are a ton of interesting and unique vehicles in this upcoming auction in Ocala and I can’t wait for fans to see the variety of cars and trucks. They will be a major associate on our race car at the Gatornationals and we want to make sure everyone that is interested in finding their perfect collector car checks out the auction.”

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PHOENIX, AZ – Today at the NHRA Arizona Nationals second year Top Fuel racer Josh Hart showed that last season’s success and consistency was not a fluke as he raced his R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster to a semifinal finish in one of the toughest fields of Top Fuel competitors. The entrepreneur from Ocala, Florida, continues to break in a brand new 11,000 horsepower race car and with every pass he is getting more and more comfortable. The comfort level combined with the data gathered by crew chief Ron Douglas is also making performance improvements with every lap. As the No. 8 qualifier Hart defeated Leah Pruett and Rob Passey before coming up just short of another final round appearance in a tough semifinal loss against veteran Clay Millican.

“We went faster than we have ever gone in my career with the 332-mph run and I am getting a lot more comfortable in this R+L Carriers Top Fuel race car,” said Hart, who raced to four semifinal finishes in addition to two wins in 2021. “My reaction times are progressively getting better. There are no slouches out here and anything is possible. When a 3.70 flat barely gets you in the top half of the field that is saying something. Everybody out here has stepped up. Everybody deserves to be out here. You have to fight for it if you want to win.”

In a great first round race Hart got the jump off the starting line with a reaction time advantage of .093 to .127 and that margin was enough to keep the nose of his R+L Carriers dragster in front of Pruett’s dragster for the win. This was the third time Hart raced Pruett and he moved his record to 3-0 with the round win. His elapsed time of 3.705 seconds gave him lane choice in the quarterfinals over upset winner Rob Passey who defeated No. 1 qualifier Doug Kalitta in the first round.

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PHOENIX, AZ – Heading into the NHRA Arizona Nationals second-year racer Josh Hart will be making his first professional start at the multi-use facility located 15 minutes from downtown Phoenix. The newness of the facility will not bother Hart and his R+L Carriers Top Fuel team considering they won their professional debut event, the 2021 NHRA Gatornationals, less than a year ago, to establish their team as one of the toughest Top Fuel dragsters on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Throughout his rookie season which only consisted of 13 races, Hart raced to six semifinals and picked up two wins. His rookie season was one of the best debut seasons in almost 15 years of Top Fuel and now the driver from Ocala, Florida, is taking on the entire 22-race tour for the first time.

“Last year we knew we were only going to run a partial schedule,” said Hart, who started his drag racing career in a Ford Lightning pick-up. “We had some great sponsors like R+L Carriers and TechNet get involved and we finished the season with a lot of success. This year we are going to go after the championship and work to help R+L Carriers with their recruiting efforts across the country. They are an amazing company that I am proud to represent.”

During his rookie season Hart picked up the win at the Gatornationals and powered to victory during the Carolina Nationals, one of the seven NHRA Countdown playoff races. He collected two additional semifinal finishes in the high-pressure playoff atmosphere.

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POMONA, CA – The 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals saw last year’s NHRA rookie standout driver Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster team continue to impress. Through two days of qualifying his performance improved every run. His crew chief and business partner Ron Douglas continued to fine tune a brand-new race car that could carry Hart to his third career victory and first Winternationals title. When qualifying was wrapped up Hart was the No. 9 qualifier and looking at a first round match-up with Shawn Langdon, a driver he defeated in the final round of last year’s season opener, the NHRA Gatornationals.

“I try to race myself and not the person in the other lane,” said Hart. “This race was a lot different from the Gatornationals. We have been working out the details on this R+L Carriers race car. Me getting comfortable was not as quick as last year in Gainesville. There was just a lot of fine tuning.”

In the first round Hart took off beside Langdon and was side-by-side with the 2013 Top Fuel world champion as both 11,000 horsepower land rockets accelerated down track. Hart began to pull away at half-track and flew to victory with a winning time of 3.740 seconds, his quickest run of the weekend to advance to the quarterfinals.

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POMONA, CA – After one of the most successful rookie season debuts in the past two decades Top Fuel racer Josh Hart is looking to continue to improve and establish his team as a championship contender when the curtain goes up on the NHRA Winternationals, February 18-20, from Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Hart won the NHRA Gatornationals in his first race behind the wheel of a Top Fuel dragster and competing on a limited schedule in 2021 raced to another win at the Carolina Nationals in the fall. He picked up four more semifinals finishes and was recognized as one of the NHRA’s top rookies of 2021. This year he will return competing for the full 22 race NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season with a new look R+L Carriers racecar and even more determination.

“Last year was awesome and we learned a lot,” said Hart, who was also nominated by Drag Illustrated magazine as Rookie of the Year. “I learned a lot and we made some mistakes as a team which is part of the process. This year we are hoping to minimize those mistakes. Going into a full season for the first time it will mean a lot more seat time and I think that is going to turn on more win lights.”

“I would say we are very focused heading into the start of this season. It is nice to open the cabinets and see a lot of new parts. We are getting a good handle on inventory whereas last year we were just learning the basics. I think we have a great team and all the same people stayed on board with us and that gives me a lot of confidence. Last season Ron Douglas and I became business partners in addition to his crew chief duties, so I get a good feeling from his confidence level when it comes to the performance of the racecar. From the driver’s perspective that is priceless,” added Hart.

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OCALA, FL – Today Josh Hart Racing announced an exciting VIP offer to NHRA race fans through driver Josh Hart’s Instagram and Twitter pages that will provide one lucky fan and a guest the trip of a lifetime to the 2022 NHRA Gatornationals. Beginning today through Friday, February 11, at 11:59 p.m. EST fans have the chance to win round trip airfare for two people, one hotel room, a rental car and two full event tickets to the NHRA Gatornationals, March 11-13, 2022.

“I won the Gatornationals last year and would love to celebrate again in the winner’s circle with two lucky fans that follow me on my social media,” said Josh Hart, 2-time Top Fuel winner in 2022. “We have a great fan following and this is a chance for one fan and a guest to enjoy a full weekend of racing on Josh Hart Racing. The details are on my Instagram. I can’t wait to meet the winner and get the season started.”

To be eligible for the grand prize, fans need to comment on the original February 7 Instagram post, follow Josh Hart (@JoshHart_TF) and tag two friends in the comments. The winner will be announced Saturday, February 12 at noon EST and must live in the lower 48.

Hart will be joining over three dozen NHRA professional teams outside Phoenix, Arizona for the PRO Nitro Spring Training event this weekend and will start the season with the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California, February 18-20.