Josh Hart and R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster raced to the second round at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway,
photo credit Krista Zivcic Photography
By: Josh Hart Racing
LAS VEGAS (April 13, 2025) — The first four-wide race of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series threw a number of curveballs at every Top Fuel dragster but Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team made the best of a tough situation. After stellar conditions at the Winternationals two weeks ago provided Hart’s team the opportunity to run some near record quick passes, extreme heat and wind this weekend challenged his crew chief trio of Ron Douglas, Jason McCulloch and Joe Barlam. Following two days of qualifying Hart entered race day as the No. 10 qualifier and was slotted in a quad that included Shawn Reed, Brittany Force and Terry Totten.
In the first round Hart jumped off the starting line and got the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster out in front where he was second to the finish line behind Reed. It was a close win in front of Force and advanced Hart to the second round for the second race in a row. The win also provides Hart the chance to once again participate in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in two weeks at zMax Dragway racing for $10,000 and championship points on the line.
“I was glad to get that first round win today,” said Hart, a multi-time Top Fuel national event winner. “That was a tough quad with Shawn who I was in the final with at the PRO Superstar Shootout and you can’t discount the Force team. We held on just enough to get the win.”
In the second round Hart and Reed faced Antron Brown and Jasmine Salinas. The track continued to heat up throughout the day. All four Top Fuel dragsters left together and Hart’s R+L Carriers was powering down his lane, but it overpowered the track smoking the tires. It was a tough loss for Hart as he watched Brown and Salinas get to the finish line 1-2.
“We have a car that can run 3.6 seconds and we need to get a consistent warm weather tune up and we are close to that,” said Hart. “The crew chiefs are figuring it out and that is why I have that brain trust. In Charlotte I think we will be closer to the consistency we want. We haven’t had consistent conditions for any of our national events this season. We will get it figured out and I have a lot of confidence.”
Hart and the R+L Carriers team will be back on track for the Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals April 25-27 at zMax Dragway. Hart will be one of eight Top Fuel competitors racing on Saturday in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.
Qualifying Results
Q1: 9.653 sec, 84.31 mph; Qual. 13
Q2: 3.918 sec, 310.20 mph; Qual. 5
Q3: 4.293 sec, 205.13 mph; Qual. 7
Q4: 3.940 sec; 304.67 mph; Qual. 10
Bonus Points: 0
Race Results
First Round
Shawn Reed, Defiance, MO, Reed Construction dragster, (.121), 3.851, 321.58 mph and Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers dragster, (.066) 4.190, 237.75 mph def. Brittany Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., Graham Rahal Performance dragster, (.051) 4.293, 285.41 mph and Terry Totten, Gretna, NH, Totten Racing dragster, (.096), 5.261, 134.36 mph
Second Round
Antron Brown, Pottsboro, Ind., Matco Tools dragster, (.080), 3.903, 313.88 mph and Jasmine Salinas, Brownsburg. Ind., Valley Supply Services dragster, (.076), 3.994, 307.23 mph def. Shawn Reed, Defiance, MO, Reed Construction dragster, (.095), 4.514, 267.85 mph and Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers dragster, (.084). 6.319, 101.76 mph
Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Point Standings – Top Fuel
1. Shawn Langdon 332
2. Tony Stewart 316
3. Antron Brown 312
4. Doug Kalitta 286
5. Jasmine Salinas 271
6. Brittany Force 244
7. Clay Millican 231
8. Justin Ashley 194
9. Josh Hart 172
9. Steve Torrence 172
