BROWNSBURG, Ind. (July 22, 2026) – The final three races of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series regular season are staring Josh Hart and the Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster team directly in their collective face and their only goal, beginning with the July 24-26 Muckleshoot Casino Resort Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Wash., is to finish in the top five of the point standings to set themselves up for the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship.
Hart made a spectacular entrance in his John Force Racing debut at this year’s season-opening NHRA Gatornationals, capturing the first Top Fuel Diamond Wally of NHRA 75th anniversary season at the track just 45 minutes from his home in Ocala, Fla.
The race results since have not been up to the expectations Hart or anyone else on the team had laid out but the three-race stretch to conclude the regular season has provided renewed focus and determination to set themselves up for a strong run in the Countdown.
The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel point standings after 11 of 20 races are: 1. Shawn Langdon, 1,069; 2. Doug Kalitta, 984; 3. Leah Pruett, 803; 4. Antron Brown, 680; 5. (tie) Maddi Gordon, 648; Tony Stewart, 648; 7. Josh Hart, 592; 8. Billy Torrence, 559; 9. Justin Ashley, 484; 10. Clay Millican, 455.
Quotes
How do you approach the mental aspect of this sport when the results aren’t going the way you would hope or expect them to?
“You find out really quick who is actually loyal and who’s backing you. It’s not about when the champagne’s flowing. It’s when everything’s beating you up. You’re exhausted, you’re confused, maybe a little lost. That’s when you start finding out who is real in your life. And I will tell you that the people that I’m surrounded with now on this Speedmaster team, there is not even a hint of giving up or walking away from our goals. This problem needs to be fixed. We all understand that and we want it for ourselves. We’re more critical of ourselves than we are of each other so everybody’s going to do their job. I have confidence that will figure it out. It has been a little bit painful and a little bit trying, but I’ve been in this position before. It’s all about weathering the storm and doing it together.”
You’ve been in this position before so is there anything you learned then that you can put into practice now?
“It’s hard to find people that will do exactly what they say they’re going to do. I’ve learned that lesson harder than I would like to admit. I think that David Grubnic and John Collins (crew chiefs) are stand-up guys, they’re going to do exactly what they say they’re going to do, I’m going to do exactly what I say I’m going to do, and John Force will do what he says he’s going to do. So, I’m not worried about it.”
What is your mindset in trying to accomplish the things you want to accomplish in these next 3 races?
“We need to be in the top 5 by the end of the regular season and the points reset. It’s a new goal that Grubnic and I came up with and we want to do everything we can to make sure that we wind up there. So, fighting the fight, going round by round. We need to get this thing on track even if it means some testing, whatever it takes to make sure that we’re in the top 5 when we go into the Countdown.”
What pops into your head when you think about racing at Pacific Raceways?
“I constantly get picked at for being in a little too ‘deep’ on the starting line. I was always taught that going in deep meant turning off the top bulb like John Force used to do all
the time for fun. So, I just laugh when people say I go in deep because I’ve never turned the top light off. I should start doing that every time just to prove the point. We had some fun with it last year at Pacific Raceways with Jason Galvin (NHRA track announcer). If you’re familiar with bracket racing or grudge match racing, they always write something on their windshield. So, on the Top Fuel car last year, we put DEEP in big letters and I dedicated that to Jason, which he found comical, creative, all in good spirits. Everybody was having some fun with it. Another good memory is the great scenery and the great air up there. The cool temperatures usually mean fast race cars and I’m into that.”
Track Schedule
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds on Friday, July 24 at 2:30 and 5 p.m. PT. On Saturday, July 25, nitro teams will qualify at 12 and 2:30 p.m. PT. Race day will kick off with nitro eliminations on Sunday, July 26 at 10 a.m. PT
TV Schedule
Television coverage includes qualifying action at 10 p.m. ET on Friday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday on FS1, leading into eliminations on FOX at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Race Results
| Seattle | Race Result | Round by Round Results | Qualified | Event Record |
| 2021 (TF) | Did Not Compete | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2022 (TF) | 2nd round | Beat Clay Millican; lost to Brittany Force | 8th | 1-1 |
| 2023 (TF) | 1st round | Lost to Steve Torrence | 11th | 1-2 |
| 2024 (TF) | 2nd round | Beat Antron Brown; lost to Shawn Langdon | 8th | 2-3 |
| 2025 (TF) | 1st round | Lost to Tony Stewart | 8th | 2-4 |
Wins: 0
No. 1 Qualifiers: 0
Event Record: 2-4
2026 Results
| Event | Qualify | Round by Round | Round Record | Points Position |
| Gainesville | 1 | Beat Dan Mercier, Tripp Tatum, Antron Brown, Doug Kalitta | 4-0 | 1 |
| Phoenix | 10 | Beat Justin Ashley, lost to Leah Pruett | 5-1 | 2 |
| Pomona1 | 2 | Beat Cameron Ferre, lost to Tony Stewart | 6-2 | 4 |
| Charlotte | 4 | Lost in 1st quad | 6-3 | 5 |
| Valdosta | 9 | Lost to Leah Pruett | 6-4 | 5 |
| Chicago | 4 | Beat Justin Ashley, Tony Stewart, lost to Shawn Langdon | 8-5 | 5 |
| Maryland | 7 | Lost to Clay Millican | 8-6 | 5 |
| Epping | 3 | Beat Rit Pustari; Lost to Billy Torrence | 9-7 | 4 |
| Bristol | 6 | Lost to Doug Kalitta | 9-8 | 6 |
| Norwalk | 2 | Beat Scott Farley; lost to Clay Millican | 10-9 | 7 |
| Sonoma | 8 | Lost to Jasmine Salinas | 10-10 | 7 |
JOSH HART AND SPEEDMASTER TEAM MAKING FRESH START AT NORTHWEST NATIONALS
BROWNSBURG, Ind. (July 22, 2026) – The final three races of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series regular season are staring Josh Hart and the Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster team directly in their collective face and their only goal, beginning with the July 24-26 Muckleshoot Casino Resort Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Wash., is to finish in the top five of the point standings to set themselves up for the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship.
Hart made a spectacular entrance in his John Force Racing debut at this year’s season-opening NHRA Gatornationals, capturing the first Top Fuel Diamond Wally of NHRA 75th anniversary season at the track just 45 minutes from his home in Ocala, Fla.
The race results since have not been up to the expectations Hart or anyone else on the team had laid out but the three-race stretch to conclude the regular season has provided renewed focus and determination to set themselves up for a strong run in the Countdown.
The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel point standings after 11 of 20 races are: 1. Shawn Langdon, 1,069; 2. Doug Kalitta, 984; 3. Leah Pruett, 803; 4. Antron Brown, 680; 5. (tie) Maddi Gordon, 648; Tony Stewart, 648; 7. Josh Hart, 592; 8. Billy Torrence, 559; 9. Justin Ashley, 484; 10. Clay Millican, 455.
Quotes
How do you approach the mental aspect of this sport when the results aren’t going the way you would hope or expect them to?
“You find out really quick who is actually loyal and who’s backing you. It’s not about when the champagne’s flowing. It’s when everything’s beating you up. You’re exhausted, you’re confused, maybe a little lost. That’s when you start finding out who is real in your life. And I will tell you that the people that I’m surrounded with now on this Speedmaster team, there is not even a hint of giving up or walking away from our goals. This problem needs to be fixed. We all understand that and we want it for ourselves. We’re more critical of ourselves than we are of each other so everybody’s going to do their job. I have confidence that will figure it out. It has been a little bit painful and a little bit trying, but I’ve been in this position before. It’s all about weathering the storm and doing it together.”
You’ve been in this position before so is there anything you learned then that you can put into practice now?
“It’s hard to find people that will do exactly what they say they’re going to do. I’ve learned that lesson harder than I would like to admit. I think that David Grubnic and John Collins (crew chiefs) are stand-up guys, they’re going to do exactly what they say they’re going to do, I’m going to do exactly what I say I’m going to do, and John Force will do what he says he’s going to do. So, I’m not worried about it.”
What is your mindset in trying to accomplish the things you want to accomplish in these next 3 races?
“We need to be in the top 5 by the end of the regular season and the points reset. It’s a new goal that Grubnic and I came up with and we want to do everything we can to make sure that we wind up there. So, fighting the fight, going round by round. We need to get this thing on track even if it means some testing, whatever it takes to make sure that we’re in the top 5 when we go into the Countdown.”
What pops into your head when you think about racing at Pacific Raceways?
“I constantly get picked at for being in a little too ‘deep’ on the starting line. I was always taught that going in deep meant turning off the top bulb like John Force used to do all
the time for fun. So, I just laugh when people say I go in deep because I’ve never turned the top light off. I should start doing that every time just to prove the point. We had some fun with it last year at Pacific Raceways with Jason Galvin (NHRA track announcer). If you’re familiar with bracket racing or grudge match racing, they always write something on their windshield. So, on the Top Fuel car last year, we put DEEP in big letters and I dedicated that to Jason, which he found comical, creative, all in good spirits. Everybody was having some fun with it. Another good memory is the great scenery and the great air up there. The cool temperatures usually mean fast race cars and I’m into that.”
Track Schedule
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds on Friday, July 24 at 2:30 and 5 p.m. PT. On Saturday, July 25, nitro teams will qualify at 12 and 2:30 p.m. PT. Race day will kick off with nitro eliminations on Sunday, July 26 at 10 a.m. PT
TV Schedule
Television coverage includes qualifying action at 10 p.m. ET on Friday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday on FS1, leading into eliminations on FOX at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Race Results
| Seattle | Race Result | Round by Round Results | Qualified | Event Record |
| 2021 (TF) | Did Not Compete | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2022 (TF) | 2nd round | Beat Clay Millican; lost to Brittany Force | 8th | 1-1 |
| 2023 (TF) | 1st round | Lost to Steve Torrence | 11th | 1-2 |
| 2024 (TF) | 2nd round | Beat Antron Brown; lost to Shawn Langdon | 8th | 2-3 |
| 2025 (TF) | 1st round | Lost to Tony Stewart | 8th | 2-4 |
Wins: 0
No. 1 Qualifiers: 0
Event Record: 2-4
2026 Results
| Event | Qualify | Round by Round | Round Record | Points Position |
| Gainesville | 1 | Beat Dan Mercier, Tripp Tatum, Antron Brown, Doug Kalitta | 4-0 | 1 |
| Phoenix | 10 | Beat Justin Ashley, lost to Leah Pruett | 5-1 | 2 |
| Pomona1 | 2 | Beat Cameron Ferre, lost to Tony Stewart | 6-2 | 4 |
| Charlotte | 4 | Lost in 1st quad | 6-3 | 5 |
| Valdosta | 9 | Lost to Leah Pruett | 6-4 | 5 |
| Chicago | 4 | Beat Justin Ashley, Tony Stewart, lost to Shawn Langdon | 8-5 | 5 |
| Maryland | 7 | Lost to Clay Millican | 8-6 | 5 |
| Epping | 3 | Beat Rit Pustari; Lost to Billy Torrence | 9-7 | 4 |
| Bristol | 6 | Lost to Doug Kalitta | 9-8 | 6 |
| Norwalk | 2 | Beat Scott Farley; lost to Clay Millican | 10-9 | 7 |
| Sonoma | 8 | Lost to Jasmine Salinas | 10-10 | 7 |
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