BRISTOL, TN (June 10, 2023) — A week later Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team were able to complete the 10thNHRA New England Nationals. After battling the elements in Epping, New Hampshire for four day and only reaping two qualifying runs the championship contending team from Florida moved south with the rest of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series to Bristol Dragway to wrap up the seventh national event of the season.
Josh Hart and R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster, photo credit Gary Nastase, Auto Imagery
Hart’s two runs at New England Dragway had the two-time Top Fuel national event winner sitting in the No. 4 qualified spot. On Friday at Bristol Dragway the team was afforded one qualifying run to get a baseline to go into elimination rounds Friday night. Hart posted the quickest run of the first session and was ready to take on two-time Top Fuel champion Brittany Force.
Under drastically different conditions Hart and Force launched together and as they approached halftrack Hart’s R+L Carrier Top Fuel dragster lost traction as Force powered past him on a clean run for the win. Hart was able to immediately turn his attention to the Thunder Valley Nationals today and made two quality passes. He will head into his second race of the weekend sitting No. 12 and looking at a first round match-up with Mike Salinas tomorrow.
“I am glad we didn’t try to finish the race in Epping,” said Hart. “It was cool to go right into eliminations on Friday night, but I would have of course wanted a better result. This R+L Carriers team isn’t going to hang our heads. We have the Thunder Valley Nationals tomorrow, so we put Epping behind us this morning and moved on.”
Qualifying Results
Q1: 3.902 sec, 317.27 mph; Qual. 3
Q2: 6.838 sec, 93.54 mph; Qual. 4
Bonus Points: +1 (3rd quickest of Q1)
Race Results
First Round
Brittany Force, Monster Energy dragster, .050, 3.747, 334.48 mph def. Josh Hart, R+L Carriers dragster, .051, 4.201, 202.85 mph
Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel
1. Justin Ashley 518
2. Steve Torrence 510
3. Brittany Force 472
4. Leah Pruett 462
5. Austin Prock 443
6. Mike Salinas 414
7. Antron Brown 408
8. Josh Hart 378
9. Shawn Langdon 335
10. Doug Kalitta 325
