Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

News

Josh Hart Looks to Midwest Nationals to Jump Start Countdown

Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase photo

At the end of the three races in three weeks stretch Josh Hart and the TechNet Brakes for Breasts Top Fuel dragster team are looking to the Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway as a chance to ramp up their NHRA championship momentum. There are four races left in the NHRA playoffs and Hart’s chances of making a serious run at his first Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel world championship have to start this weekend. The four-year pro has built a top-tier team from the ground up, but this season has been full of trials and tribulations to this point.
 
“This has been one of the toughest seasons of my racing career and I am looking to make the most of these last four races,” said Hart, a two-time Top Fuel national event winner. “We have a great team with great support from TechNet as well as R+L Carriers. Every race there are over a dozen Top Fuel teams that have a legitimate shot to win the race and that is unprecedented in modern drag racing. There is only one championship trophy, and I want to do everything I can to try and win it.”This will be Hart’s fourth trip to the race track in the shadow of the St. Louis Arch and the businessman from Ocala, Florida, is looking to recapture some of his earlier career success. Two years ago, he raced to the finals from the No. 2 qualifier spot dropping a close race to Steve Torrence. At that race Hart outran Scott Palmer, Mike Salinas and Shawn Langdon before coming up a few hundredths of a second short to Torrence. In his first appearance at the Midwest Nationals in 2021, Hart raced to the semifinals from the No. 10 spot upsetting Justin Ashley and Brittany Force before being stopped by Torrence.
 
“Steve Torrence has had our number in St. Louis,” said Hart. “He is the only driver to beat me in the past three years. Hopefully, we can avoid matching up with him and see what we can do with this TechNet Brakes for Breasts Top Fuel dragster. Steve is an awesome competitor and we’ll be ready for him or anyone else in the class.”
 
For the second race in a row Hart will be drawing attention to the Brakes for Breasts program with his sponsor TechNet. 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. TechNet shops are locally owned and focused on delivering exceptional customer care and service. Shops that are part of TechNet Nation employ highly skilled and trained staff while also using quality parts from Carquest, DieHard® batteries and other leading brands.
 
Hart hopes his efforts with the Brakes for Breasts Top Fuel dragster and the additional social and media promotion at the Midwest Nationals this weekend will help 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.
 
“I am very proud to be associated with TechNet and the Brakes for Breasts program,” said Hart. “This program does an amazing job of raising donations for breast cancer research and engaging the thousands of TechNet shops and their customers. I can’t wait to get this pink TechNet Brakes for Breasts Top Fuel dragster on the track and into the winner’s circle.”
 
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 will be on track for two qualifying runs on Friday, September 27 and two more qualifiers on Saturday, September 28. The quickest 16 Top Fuel dragsters will line up on Sunday, September 29 with the first round slated for 11 a.m. CDT. The race will be broadcast nationally on FS1.

This story was originally published on September 26, 2024. Drag Illustrated

You May Also Like

News

Nearly three years after its closure, Palm Beach International Raceway is back on the market. The property is now being advertised as an industrial...

Features

Scott Palmer, affectionately known as “The People’s Champion,” is no stranger to the grind and grit of drag racing’s toughest events. Coming off the...

News

Alan Reinhart, a fixture in NHRA drag racing for over 30 years, announced on Joe Castello’s WFO Radio that he will not return to...

News

Coast Packing Co. race team owner Eric Gustafson has confirmed that longtime driver and tuner Jason Lee will not be competing at the upcoming...

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.