The start of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series got off to a wet and frustrating start for 2021 Gatornationals winner Josh Hart, driver of the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster. Hart, who made several off-season additions in pursuit of his first Top Fuel world championship, had high hopes coming into Gainesville Raceway. A month ago, Hart was the Top Fuel runner-up at the SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout in Bradenton, Florida. This weekend, all the professional teams lost half of the scheduled qualifying sessions and headed into race day with only two runs from Friday. Hart was able to secure the No. 9 qualifier position on the strength of his first run, a solid 3.755-second pass at 324.90 mph.
“I was happy with that first run, and on Friday night, we got aggressive,” said Hart, a multi-time Top Fuel national event winner. “I was hoping to get some more runs on Saturday, but Mother Nature had other ideas. We knew Sunday would be a tricky day for racing.”
In the first round facing veteran No. 8 qualifier Clay Millican and his Rick Ware Racing-backed Top Fuel dragster, Hart was half of the first pair of 12,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragsters to hit the track. Hart was first off the line, but almost immediately, both dragsters smoked the tires. Hart’s R+L Carriers race car shut off as Millican was able to power down the track, getting on and off the throttle for the win. While Hart’s day concluded early, the championship-contending team owner was not discouraged for the future of the season.
“We knew it would be tough to be the first pair,” said Hart. “There wasn’t a lot of rubber on the track, and you saw that with the pairs after us. I think only one dragster got down the track on a clean run. It was not the way we wanted to start the season. We will be ready for the Arizona Nationals.”
Hart, along with his wife Brittanie and the Burnyzz Speed Shop team, welcomed fans from across the country to their shop for the 3rd annual Burnyzz Gatornationals FanFest on Wednesday night leading up to the race. Over 30 drivers signed autographs for thousands of fans. In addition to the driver appearances, there was a massive car show, live band, face painting for the kids, and a host of food trucks. Citizens First Bank was the event sponsor, and at the end of the night, the fans and the drivers were all ready for a busy race weekend.
“Getting the race started with the Burnyzz FanFest has been awesome the past three years,” said Brittanie Hart. “We do car shows throughout the year, but the Gatornationals FanFest is one of our biggest, and people really look forward to it. Having so many drivers come to the shop is great and we really appreciate them taking the time before the race to come to Ocala. It has grown every year, and we are already making plans to make the 4th annual Fanfest even better.”
Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will be back on track for the NHRA Arizona Nationals, March 21-23, at Firebird Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona. For more information on that race visit, www.nhra.com.
This story was originally published on March 10, 2025. 
