Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will leave Sonoma Raceway looking towards the final two regular season races for continued improvement. After two races on the west coast Hart saw some performance improvements but at the conclusion of today’s Sonoma Nationals, the two-time Top Fuel winner is looking to step up in two weeks at the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals. Through two days of qualifying Hart’s R+L Carriers 12,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster was improving every round. In the final qualifying session Hart earned a bonus point for posting the third quickest time of the session. At the end of qualifying Hart was sitting in the No. 12 qualifier position.
“We were making smooth runs in qualifying, and we just need to keep working to get quicker,” said Hart, a 2023 Sonoma Nationals semifinalist. “We made some changes before the western swing, and we are seeing improvement. It never happens fast enough. You look at this class and the separation in elapsed times is a few hundredths or thousandths of a second. We will keep working.”
On race day Hart drew Brittany Force in the first round. Force is the driver just in front of Hart in the points and a round win would go a long way in moving him up in the Top Ten standings. Hart was first off the starting line with a .061 reaction time giving the driver from Ocala, Florida, a .030 advantage as the Top Fuel dragsters accelerated towards the Sonoma Raceway finish line. At halftrack the two race cars were side-by-side but as the finish line stripe closed in Hart lost traction for a split-second robbing him of momentum and allowing Force to move ahead for the win.
“We knew we needed to step up, so we were very aggressive on that run,” said Hart. “This sport is unforgiving and I love the challenge. I am going to go back and get with my guys to get ready for Brainerd. We have that race and then the U.S. Nationals is points and a half. These past two races we made a lot of changes and I think there is more room for improvement. Our focus is on getting quicker and then giving it our all to end the regular season.”
Hart and the R+L Carriers team showed over the past two races in Seattle and Sonoma the addition of crew chief John Stewart was a good move. Testing before the western swing also gave them valuable data, which they built on. Leaving Sonoma they have data from 16 more runs in solid conditions to take to the final two regular season races and into the championship chase in the Countdown.
“We dug ourselves a hole, but we are moving in the right direction to get back into the thick of the championship,” said Hart. “Anything’s possible and I believe with hard work and determination we can get where we need to be. There isn’t a person on this R+L Carriers team that isn’t giving their all and I appreciate their hard work. We are going to get better.”
The Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway, August 15-18, with two qualifying sessions on Friday, including a night-time session, that will provide the opportunity for record-setting runs. On Saturday the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will have two more chances to grab the No. 1 qualifier position heading into Sunday’s elimination rounds. The quickest 16 Top Fuel dragsters will square off at 10:30 a.m. CST with the race being broadcast on FS1 and FOX.
This story was originally published on July 29, 2024. 
