Story By: ELON WERNER / JOSH HART RACING – CONCORD, NC – Unseasonably warm conditions dogged the Top Fuel and Funny Car competitors during the 16th annual NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway this weekend.
For Josh Hart and the newly adorned pink TechNet Brakes for Breasts Top Fuel dragster the three-day national event was a good opportunity to talk about an amazing program supporting breast cancer awareness, but a tough weekend for on-track performance. Through two days of qualifying Hart’s team made three solid passes and landed on the qualifying sheet as the No. 11 quickest Top Fuel dragster on the property.
“We came off the trailer and made some decent runs considering the conditions were pretty tricky,” said Hart, the 2021 Carolina Nationals Top Fuel winner. “Everyone had to deal with the same track and same conditions. I thought we made the most of it. On Saturday we made a strong run in the first session and then we missed in it the last session. I had a lot of confidence coming in the first round match-up with Shawn (Langdon).”
Entering race day Hart was ready for a close race with the No. 6 qualifier. The pink TechNet Brakes for Breasts Top Fuel dragster was first off the starting line with Hart’s .058 second reaction time getting a slight edge on Shawn Langdon’s .061 second reaction time. Unfortunately, by the time the 11,000-horsepower land rockets were closing in on halftrack Hart’s Goodyear tires lost traction and Langdon was pulling away on a smooth run. Langdon’s elapsed time of 3.775 seconds outpaced Hart’s 4.923 second run.
“It was really warm for the first round and usually that gives us a little advantage,” said Hart. “It didn’t work out for us today. There were a lot of teams smoking the tires, but we need to work on our own program. We will head right to St. Louis and get ready for the Midwest Nationals. That is another great facility and we will get right back after it.”
For the fourth season in a row Hart is supporting the Brakes for Breasts initiative. Part of the Advance Auto Parts portfolio of brands, TechNet Professional Automotive Service features a network of more than 15,000 repair shops across the U.S. and Canada. Shops also participate in important charitable initiatives in the communities they serve, such as Brakes for Breasts.
“We’re pleased to once again feature TechNet and Brakes for Breasts on Josh’s dragster for this weekend’s race,” said Todd Sanders, Advance’s senior vice president, professional business. “We hope this partnership drives awareness around the fundraising program while encouraging race fans to be proactive around their own personal health.”
Hart hoped his efforts with the Brakes for Breasts Top Fuel dragster and the additional social and media promotion this weekend helped raise awareness for the 1 in 8 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. All the funds raised will go towards the Cleveland Clinic Breast Cancer Vaccine Research Fund.
There are several ways for consumers to help the program through their donations. Fans and supporters can visit their local TechNet repair shop to give or get up to $40 on their qualifying brake service. Consumers can receive up to $40 rebate in the form of a TechNet Professional Prepaid Mastercard or $10 rebate per axle on Carquest Premium Gold brakes and $20 rebate per axle on Carquest Professional Platinum brakes. To find your local TechNet Professional Automotive Service Center, click here and help us put the brakes on breast cancer!
Hart and the Brakes for Breasts Top Fuel dragster team will be back on track for two qualifying runs to start the Midwest Nationals on Friday from World Wide Technology Raceway outside of St. Louis.
Qualifying Results
Q1: 3.795 sec, 326.71 mph; Qual. 9
Q2: 3.755 sec, 322.65 mph; Qual. 11
Q3: 3.792 sec, 327.59 mph; Qual. 11
Q4: 6.548 sec, 92.30 mph; Qual. 11
Bonus Points: 0
Race Results
First Round
Shawn Langdon, Avon, Ind., KalittaAir.com/careers dragster, (.061), 3.775 sec, 327.98 mph def. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., TechNet Brakes for Breasts dragster, (.058), 4.923 sec, 165.97 mph
Mission Foods Drag Racing point standings – Top Fuel Championship Points
1. Antron Brown 2292
2. Justin Ashley 2239
3. Shawn Langdon 2230
4. Doug Kalitta 2225
5. Clay Millican 2174
6. Steve Torrence 2162
7. Tony Schumacher 2119
8. Tony Stewart 2118
9. Brittany Force 2114
10. Billy Torrence 2082
11. Josh Hart 2056
12. Shawn Reed 2029