Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

News

Elite Motorsports Set For Growth in 2026 With Purchase of Top Fuel Team

Luke Nieuwhof photo

It was announced today that Elite Motorsports, already the largest team in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), has purchased the Top Fuel program of Josh Hart

Elite Motorsports team owner, Richard Freeman, has signed an agreement with Hart to acquire his entire Top Fuel operation at the end of the 2025 season, marking a major step for Elite Motorsports to expand into the nitro categories. 

“We’ve talked about this for a long time, even bought a Top Fuel car in the past with the hopes of getting into nitro, but it didn’t play out,” Freeman said. “Now it feels like the right time. We are actively pursuing sponsorships and partners but also looking for the right people and team to run the program once we are fully funded. It’s going to happen and I’m excited about the possibilities.” 

Elite Motorsports’ venture into Top Fuel is just the next step for the wildly successful camp that already helps to field up to nine Pro Stock entries in the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series, an entry in the JHG Mountain Motor Pro Stock class, a Congruity Pro Mod entry and a Competition Eliminator program. Elite also proudly supports an array of Lucas Oil NHRA Sportsman entries. 

“This is all made possible thanks to the people and partners we already have,” Freeman continued. “This team is successful because we are a family, that family is just looking to expand, but we aren’t leaving anything behind and we aren’t going to move forward if we don’t have the right assets in place, but by the end of 2025, I think we will.”As the NHRA Countdown to the Championship begins this week at Maple Grove Raceway with the NHRA Reading Nationals, Freeman and the Elite Motorsports team are focused on finishing the 2025 season strong while preparing for the possibilities of the future. 

You May Also Like

Features

There’s a version of the Pro Mod rules debate that plays out in comment sections and Facebook groups, where people who have never tuned...

Exclusive

Ten years ago, “Tricky” Rickie Smith added another championship to his robust résumé when he clinched the 2015 PDRA Pro Nitrous world championship. This...

Features

There are programs that spend years grinding toward their first win light. They write checks, burn nitro, shake the car down, and work through...

Race Coverage

The First Drag Race presented by Robbin’s Repairables set at Shadyside Dragway ignited the 2026 ten-race championship season for the Southeast Gassers Association. From...

Since 2005, DI has informed, inspired and educated drag racers from every walk of the racing life - weekend warrior and street/strip enthusiasts to pro-level doorslammer and Top Fuel racers. From award-winning writing and photography to binge-worthy videos to electric live events, DI meets hundreds of thousands of racers where they live, creating the moments that create conversations.