Story By: ELON WERNER / JOSH HART RACING – OCALA, FL – The six race NHRA playoffs will commence this weekend at Maple Grove Raceway with the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals. This will be the first opportunity for Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team to put a frustrating regular NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season in their rearview mirror.
The championship contending team has six races to close a 100-plus point gap on reigning NHRA Top Fuel world champion and No. 1 seed Doug Kalitta.
“I am never going to stop believing Anything’s Possible,” said Hart, after his quarterfinal finish at the Toyota U.S. Nationals. “We have never had much success at Maple Grove Raceway, but we also never had a regular season like we did in 2024. I am focusing on the positives, and I am challenging my team to be better these last six races. We need to qualify better, and we need to win more rounds on Sundays.”
Throughout this season Hart’s R+L Carriers team has shown flashes of improved performance and the addition of John Stewart to work with lead crew chief Ron Douglas has given the team some more consistency. They have been avoiding first round losses but have advanced to just on semifinal round over the past three races since Stewart came on board. For a team and driver used to winning the results have motivated Hart.
“I have never had a season like this, but the season isn’t over,” said Hart. “I told my team after the U.S. Nationals we are all working towards the same goal and I will give them everything they need to be successful towards that goal. We run a little better when it is warmer and we need to pick up the pace when the tracks and conditions cool off. Ron and Stewie (John Stewart) have been putting a plan together.”
Maple Grove Raceway is the lone track where Hart has never advanced to at least the quarterfinals. Hart will be looking to turn that record around when he takes the track for two qualifying sessions on Friday. The two-time Top Fuel winner appreciates the opportunity to make four qualifying runs before Sunday’s eliminations.
“Every team wants to get as many runs as possible before eliminations but for our R+L Carriers team we need every run we can get,” said Hart. “We have been battling to get elapsed times that put us in the top half of the field. It puts pressure on everyone to try and win from the bottom half, but we have been doing that throughout the season.”
Hart has established himself as one of the best Top Fuel drivers off the starting line with a reaction time average only bested by Justin Ashley. The dedication to his craft has turned heads in the category as he has become known as a tough out in the first round no matter where he is qualified. Over the final six races last season Hart recorded several upsets and hole shot wins based on his quick starts off the line. The driver and businessman from Ocala, Florida, would like to continue to use his reflexes and hand-to-eye coordination to his advantage.
“I have challenged myself to work on my reaction times over the past two seasons,” said Hart. “I have seen the results, and I want to keep getting better. Every driver has their own system or routine, but I feel very comfortable in this R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster and I think that is translating to good reaction times.”
At the U.S. Nationals Hart accepted his Countdown to the Championship medal and he will proudly represent all his sponsors during the playoffs. He has been a staunch supporter of the win to get in process in racing and sports in general. He understands he has an unusual opportunity to race for the championship and he does not want to waste it.
“I mentioned after the U.S. Nationals that I was not a fan of participation trophies, but we all knew the rules and here we are,” said Hart. “I am going to make the most of this six-race playoffs and try to make some history. We will get our first shot at Maple Grove to start winning rounds and we are going to take it one race at a time. All season we talked about any team could win a race because the competition is so good. I believe any team can win this championship if they can get on a roll. I am going to do everything I can to make sure that team is the R+L Carriers team.”
Qualifying for the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals will include two qualifying sessions on Friday and two on Saturday. The quickest 16 Top Fuel dragsters will hit the track on Sunday for final eliminations starting at 10:30 a.m. EST. The race will be broadcast on FOX and will lead into FOX’s NFL coverage.