Josh Hart Looking to Capitalize on Virginia Nationals Success
By: Josh Hart Racing
OCALA, FLA. (June 17, 2025) — Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster team will return to Virginia Motorsports Park this weekend looking to capture their first Top Fuel win of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. This will be the multi-time Top Fuel national event winner’s third attempt at victory at the American Rebel Light Virginia Nationals. Hart has advanced to the quarterfinals in his previous two appearances at the track located just outside of Richmond, Virginia.
“I was excited to see the Virginia race come back on the NHRA schedule a few years ago,” said Hart. “The track is a great racing surface and the fans in that part of the country love NHRA drag racing. We have run well there and this weekend we are looking forward to winning more rounds with the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team. It will be the first weekend of back-to-back races and we are looking forward to building some momentum going into the summer.”
The American Rebel Light Virginia Nationals is the only two-day race on the NHRA schedule. Fans will be treated to three professional qualifying sessions on Saturday and then the quickest 16 Top Fuel dragsters will battle it out in eliminations on Sunday. The unique format creates an intense atmosphere for the teams as they qualify in race day conditions with quick turnaround times in the pits. The fans get an almost race day level of excitement with the drivers still in a more relaxed state of mind.
“The two-day race is something new for the NHRA and our fans,” said Hart. “The Saturday schedule is packed with racing, autograph sessions, and all the midway events. It is a great bang for the buck in my opinion. On the team side we like it because we can kind of get into race mode with three runs on Saturday at about the same time as our runs on Sunday. Hopefully we can get some good data on Saturday and go some rounds on Sunday.”
Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team have been consistent performers over the past two months racing to the quarterfinals in five of the previous six races. They have also started from the top half of the field in four of those six races. Their strong qualifying performance which led to lane choice in the first round in Bristol led directly to their first round win over Doug Kalitta when the left lane was by far the superior lane on race day. Hart started the race as No. 6 qualifier which was his best qualifying position of the season tying his Winternationals qualifying effort.
“We came off the trailer in Bristol with a really strong run and I am hoping we can duplicate that in Richmond,” said Hart. “When you get those quick qualifying runs early that really sets the team up for success. All these R+L Carrier guys have been doing a great job all season and we are right on the edge of a breakthrough race. We will be on the road for a couple weeks and I would like to see as many win lights as possible.”
The R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will be on track for three qualifying runs on Saturday June 21 running at 11:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. The quickest 16 Top Fuel dragsters at the end of the day will line up for eliminations at noon ET on Sunday, June 22. The race will be broadcast nationally on FOX and fans can get more information and tickets by visiting www.nhra.com.
