Story By: ELON WERNER / JOSH HART RACING – OCALA, FL – The extended break on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule was a chance for many teams to relax and catch their breath before the six-race Countdown in a few months.
For Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team the break was the opportunity the team needed to add some key elements and continue to bear down on a championship tune up through testing and organizational adjustments. Last week the team spent three days in Indianapolis testing and working in race day like conditions to get ready for the two race Western Swing which starts this weekend in Seattle at the historic Northwest Nationals from Pacific Raceways. This will be Hart’s third trip to the great northwest and the businessman and team owner is looking to make some history.
“I have never won at Seattle or anywhere that far from Ocala so we would love to set a record for winning that far from home for the R+L Carriers team,” said Hart. “We added John Stewart officially after Norwalk and he has been a great addition. He and (crew chief) Ron (Douglas) went right to work, and we tested in Indy. We were hoping for a couple days but Mother Nature had other plans.”
During the one-day Indy test session Hart along with a handful of other Top Fuel and Funny Car teams made laps looking to improve in every facet of their performance. For Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team it was a great opportunity to make several runs back-to-back in race day like conditions. The team is hoping to duplicate those efforts this weekend in Seattle. The event will feature four qualifying sessions with a unique Friday night program that will be fun for the fans but will most likely not yield race day performance information.
“Our biggest opportunity for improvement and learning will be the first qualifying session and then the two runs on Saturday,” said Hart. “The late-night Friday run will be a big performance opportunity and will be great for the fans, but we need to get race day information. We will take our shot for sure looking to get a top qualifier, but our focus is on getting round wins on Sunday and moving up in the Top Ten.”
In Hart’s two previous trips to Pacific Raceways, he has raced to one quarterfinal in 2022 from the No. 8 qualifier spot and last year as the No. 11 qualifier he lost to Texan Steve Torrence in the first round. For young teams heading to new facilities the learning curve takes some time as they build up data on track conditions.
“When you come to new tracks it just takes some time to get comfortable, especially as a single car team,” said Hart. “My crew chief Ron Douglas has great experience but there are still a lot of little things that change from year to year and team to team. I feel very confident that going back for the third year in a row we will be in a great position to make some good qualifying runs and have a solid race day. Our goal is to use these four races before the Countdown to position this R+L Carriers team for a run at the championship.”
As of right now Hart is sitting in a group of drivers positioned from seventh place to eleventh place where the point differential is just over 150 points. With four races before the Countdown cut-off the chance for upward movement is very achievable. Following the U.S. Nationals the points will be reset and the entire Top Ten will be within 110 points of the No. 1 driver.
“We aren’t thinking about the championship points right now, but we are looking to move up in the Top Ten,” said Hart. “If we can get on a roll this weekend in Seattle and start closing the gap on the teams in front of us while also putting distance on the teams behind us that will be the goal. I can’t wait to get to the track and start making passes.”
Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will be on track for the NHRA Northwest Nationals Friday, July 19 at 4:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. for two qualifying sessions. Between those runs the track will host several fan friendly events including mass autograph sessions in the pits, cacklefests with nostalgia race cars, a track walk and driver interviews. On Saturday qualifying will continue at 2:30 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. with Sunday featuring final eliminations beginning at 10:30 a.m. The race will be televised nationally on FOX.