Josh Hart continued to make strides with the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster during the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsport Park racing to the quarterfinals for the second time at the event located just outside Petersburg, Va. The event was contested over two days, a new format for the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, with yesterday providing Hart and the rest of the Top Fuel class three qualifying runs before today’s eliminations. Hart made the most of the session posting his best time in the final session, a 3.923 second pass at 319.90 mph on a track that was recognized as one of the hottest ever.
“We built up to a good run in the last session,” said Hart, a two-time Top Fuel national event winner. “It was crazy hot here and I want to thank all the fans for coming out and sticking with us for two days. Our last run was just what the doctor ordered for this R+L Carriers team. We jumped up to the No. 7 spot and got lane choice.”
The solid qualifying position Hart’s best of the season was a sign that his team was continuing to improve and move in the right direction. Going into the opening round of eliminations Hart would face Canadian Dan Mercier. This was the first time the entrepreneur from Ocala, Florida, would face the businessman from Quebec in a head-to-head race.
The R+L Carriers team was the first Top Fuel dragster to take to the track hoping to take advantage of a clean, smooth track. Hart was first off the starting line and never trailed in the drag race getting to the finish line 3.892 seconds after he hit the throttle pedal.
“We stepped up when we needed to,” said Hart. “Dan is a good racer, and we knew we needed to make a strong run to get the round win. This is another hot day, and we have a decent hot track tune up. We have been working hard to race to track conditions and get the most out of every run. This team hasn’t been hanging their heads, they have been working their tails off. We are seeing the results today.”
In the second round Hart drew reigning Top Fuel world champion Doug Kalitta looking to race to the semifinals. Once again Hart was first off the starting line and was starting to pull away from Kalitta when his R+L Carriers 12,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster began misfiring cylinders robbing Hart of critical power. His team knew that a potential catastrophic engine issue was a possibility with this kind of engine strain and remotely shut off his dragster. Kalitta pulled ahead for the win and Hart will head to Norwalk with the knowledge he has a strong race car.
“We would have loved to have raced to the semifinals and won the race today, but we need to build consistency,” said Hart. “We made progress in Epping and then Bristol and now at the Virginia Nationals. I feel like a win is right around the corner. I am looking forward to Norwalk for sure. We will have a huge R+L Carriers contingent at the race. This weekend had some positives and we are going to build on those.”
Hart and the R+L Carriers team will be back on track on Friday, June 28, for two qualifying sessions at the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals followed by two more sessions on Saturday, June 29. Final eliminations will take place on Sunday June 30 with the quickest 16 Top Fuel dragster vying for the iconic NHRA Wally trophy and the commemorative Norwalk ice cream scoop trophy. For more information or tickets fans can visit www.nhra.com.
This story was originally published on June 24, 2024. 
