Josh Hart will leave Charlotte with momentum and focus on upcoming Chicago national event
By: Josh Hart Racing
CONCORD, N.C. (April 27, 2025) — The American Rebel Light NHRA Four-Wide Nationals wrapped up today at zMax Dragway with Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team racing to the second round and moving closer to locking down a hot weather tune-up. Hart made consistently quick runs on Friday with cool temperatures and when the weather warmed up on Saturday and Sunday Hart’s team of crew chiefs got busy working on a solid performance package for the championship contending team.
Hart raced to the final quad on Saturday during the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge picking up championship points as well as bonus money. In the first round Hart out raced Shawn Reed and Clay Millican to advance to the Mission Challenge final quad with Antron Brown. In the final quad which was also the final qualifying session Hart was securely in the field racing Brown, Doug Kalitta and Steve Torrence. He came up short of the victory but got valuable data to head into race day on a warmer track.
“The Mission Challenge is a great event to have especially when conditions change during qualifying,” said Hart, a multi-time Top Fuel champion. “The crew gets into race mode and it helps me as a driver too. We are working on a set up for tracks that are 120 degrees so the more runs we can make the better.”
In the opening quad of Top Fuel eliminations today Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team were lined up in lane three with Shawn Langdon on his right in lane four and Scott Farley and Ida Zetterström in lanes one and two respectively. When the Christmas Tree fired it was Hart getting the jump with an excellent .045 reaction time and he kept his 12,000-horsepower land rocket in the groove to advance to the second quad along with Shawn Langdon. Hart’s elapsed time of 3.755 seconds was just a tick behind Langdon’s 3.728 seconds but in the unique four-wide format it was enough to get him to the next round.
In the second quad it was a championship caliber group of drivers including Hart, Langdon, Justin Ashley and Brittany Force. The track continued to heat up throughout the day and Hart’s team was still working on chasing some consistency. When Hart’s R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster launched it surged off the line and overpowered the racetrack. Hart was forced to watch Ashley and Langdon pull away and move on to the final quad. The team did gather critical information they will utilize for future races.
“This was a good weekend to wrap up the four-wides, and also get us set up for the summer months,” said Hart. “We made progress on a tune up that will keep us in the mix when the track temperatures get hot. The team worked really well together. We are moving forward and I am excited about getting into a groove. We have gotten out of the first round the past three races and we are going to keep building on that momentum.”
Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will be back on track at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals outside of Chicago, May 15-18. With his quarterfinal finish Hart will leave zMax Dragway in the No. 10 spot in the Mission Foods Top Fuel point standings and just three rounds out of the top five.
Qualifying Results
Q1: 3.757 sec, 317.27 mph; Qual. 5
Q2: 3.709 sec, 323.12 mph; Qual. 7
Q3: 3.821 sec, 317.64 mph; Qual. 7
Q4: 6.640 sec; 100.24 mph; Qual. 7
Race Results
First Round
Shawn Langdon, Avon, Ind., Future Energy Solutions dragster, (.068), 3.728, 333.25 mph and Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers dragster, (.045) 3.755, 332.34 mph def. Ida Zetterstrom, Avon, Ind., JCM dragster, (.095) 3.753, 300.56 mph and Scott Farley, Ellington, Ill, Scott Rod dragster, (.151), 4.260, 192.96 mph
Second Round
Shawn Langdon, Avon, Ind., Future Energy Solutions dragster, (.062), 3.773, 331.45 mph and Justin Ashley, Plainview, NY, SCAG Power Equipment dragster, (.055), 3.781, 328.78 mph def. Brittany Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., Monster Energy dragster, (.086), 3.834, 322.81 mph and Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers dragster, (.097). 6.727, 94.39 mph
Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Point Standings – Top Fuel
1. Shawn Langdon 451
2. Tony Stewart 390
3. Antron Brown 389
4. Doug Kalitta 333
5. Brittany Force 301
6. Justin Ashley 289
7. Jasmine Salinas 271
8. Clay Millican 263
9. Steve Torrence 230
10. Josh Hart 225
