JOSH HART LOOKS TO ST LOUIS FOR COUNTDOWN JUMPSTART
OCALA, FL – Second year Top Fuel driver, team owner and Ocala, Florida resident Josh Hart made the trip to St. Louis earlier than expected 
to avoid any complications from Hurricane Ian. The business owner made sure his employees and facilities were taken care of and the driver of the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster that also has major support from TechNet turned his attention to the third race of the NHRA Countdown. After the first two playoff races Hart is looking to capitalize on a strong qualifying performance to make a move up the Top Fuel standings this weekend at the NHRA Midwest Nationals.
“We have not gotten off the start I wanted in the playoffs. We met as a team after Charlotte to pull together for these final four Countdown races,” said Hart, who raced to a final round earlier this season in Norwalk, Ohio. “I have an amazing team that is working incredibly hard to win this championship. The competition is strong, but we have to make sure we don’t beat ourselves and we take advantage of every opportunity.”
Last year at World Wide Technology Raceway as a non-Countdown contender Hart raced to the semifinals as the No. 10 qualifier beating the Countdown qualified teams of Justin Ashley and Brittany Force before losing to eventual series champion Steve Torrence in the third round. The success in his rookie year with two wins and multiple semifinals racing on a partial schedule motivated the entrepreneur to make a major investment over the off-season to run the whole NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series in 2022 and battle for the world title. In his first run through the playoffs Hart has seen the level of competition step up.
“We wanted to race with the best of the best when everything was on the line,” said Hart. “My crew chief Ron Douglas has given me a great R+L Carriers dragster throughout the season and we have been making great progress. We were one of the quickest dragsters in Charlotte running in the 3.6s and conditions in St. Louis should play right into our hands. We have to keep the pressure on these other teams and make them press to catch up to us. We can win this championship, but we need a good race this weekend.”
This season with a brand new 11,000 horsepower Top Fuel dragster and expanded pit area Hart has been impressive on and off the track. At every NHRA national event the team has hosted guests and employees from primary sponsor R+L Carriers as a perk and as a recruiting tool to find new employees for the wide variety of career opportunities available at the five-decade old family run company. Fans at events are afforded the chance to check out Hart’s hospitality and see how their lives could be changed with a new job at R+L Carriers.
“I am blessed to be able to race at this level thanks to great partners like R+L Carriers and TechNet,” said Hart. “It is very easy for me to talk about how great a company R+L Carriers is because I see it every day across the country. This season I have been to half a dozen new tracks, and we meet people who love R+L Carriers and I want to make sure anyone that wants the opportunity to improve their situation can have the chance to do it with R+L Carriers. They are an amazing company.”
Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster entered the Countdown as the No. 5 seed just 50 points behind the points leader. An early exit and quarterfinal finish have him sitting in seventh place, but he is only 133 points out of the lead with four playoff races remaining. Every race has 100 points on the line with the final race offering 150 points to the event winner. Final round appearances and race wins could catapult Hart right onto the top of the standings if he can defeat some of the teams in front of him early in a race.
“We want to race as many Countdown contending teams as early as possible,” said Hart. “We would like to take out the points leader in the first or second round because you can close the gap very quickly with a race win. On the rear wing of my R+L Carriers dragster I have the saying ‘Anything’s Possible’ and I truly believe that.”
Qualifying will begin for Hart and the rest of the Top Fuel field on Friday night with two more sessions on Saturday. With favorable weather conditions times should be quick and fast. The quickest 16 dragsters will be able to race for the trophy on Sunday when eliminations begin at 10:30 a.m. and FS1 will broadcast the race nationally.
photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery
