BROWNSBURG, Ind. (MARCH 18, 2026) – It’s been five long years since Josh Hart headed to the second race of the NHRA season as the Top Fuel point leader which is why the Florida resident and driver of John Force Racing’s Burnyzz Speed Shop / Speedmaster Top Fuel team has savored the time since winning the season-opening Gatornationals in his JFR debut and the March 20-22 FMP NHRA Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs at Firebird Motorsports Park in Chandler, Ariz.
Hart and his Dave Grubnic / John Collins-led team made the powerful statement at Gainesville that they have every intention of contending for this year’s championship by grabbing the No. 1 Qualifier spot with the low E.T. (3.658 seconds) and top speed (340.30 mph) of the meet and then defeating defending champion Doug Kalitta in the final round. Kalitta beat Hart off the line by less than one-hundredth of a second but Hart took the victory with a run of 3.733 seconds at 337.83 mph to Kalitta’s 3.877 at 319.60.
This year’s Gatornationals win bookended Hart’s NHRA Top Fuel career debut in 2021 when, as the No. 8 qualifier, he defeated Clay Millican, Steve Torrence and Justin Ashley on his way to cutting a 0.026 light and running 3.826 seconds at 323.66 mph to Shawn Langdon’s 4.244 at 219.08.
The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel point standings are: Josh Hart, 122; Doug Kalitta, 96; Antron Brown, 76; Maddi Gordon, 74; Leah Pruett, 57; Tony Stewart, 54; Tripp Tatum III, 53; Tony Schumacher, 48; Shawn Langdon, 44; Shawn Reed, 32.
Quotes
What’s the feeling heading into Phoenix with the points lead and a win already under your belt?
“The Burnyzz Speed Shop/Speedmaster team checked a lot of boxes at Gainesville and we’re going to take this momentum into Phoenix. We’re not going to take our foot off the gas; actually, quite the opposite. We’ve set the expectation, we know where we need to improve and now it’s just to make sure that I can live up to everybody else’s expectations.”
From a post-race competition meeting standpoint, was it different for you to be simply the driver providing input as opposed to how you ran it with your own team?
“David Grubnic (crew chief) is very much concerned about my feedback, making sure I’m comfortable, making sure that the car is doing what I think it should do. And he’s also interested in all of my feedback as to how it performed throughout the run. So, I feel like I’m really a part of the team because he takes my input and uses it to some extent to improve the next pass.”
What is the pressure you put yourself under now?
“Now it’s just to make sure that I can live up to everybody else’s expectations. I want to earn the trust and respect of the John Force Racing fans. I want to earn the respect of my peers – be a good driver, stage properly – and I obviously want to earn the trust and respect of our team. We’ve made a couple of really good steps in that direction but I know that’s just the beginning.”
Between races, do you detach from racing or do you stay in the zone all the way through?
Oh yeah, always, always thinking about it, for sure. But I do have the opportunity now to focus on what I’m doing at home, which should just make my life and lifestyle way more efficient and productive.
“As for the weather forecast for Phoenix, I’m from Florida. I’m used to the heat so we’ll be just fine from the driver’s point of view.”
Stats
| Phoenix | Race Result | Qualified | Event Round Record |
| 2021 (TF) | NHRA Did Not Compete | N/A | N/A |
| 2022 (TF) | Semi-finals | 8th | 2-1 |
| 2023 (TF) | 1st round | 12th | 2-2 |
| 2024 (TF) | 1st round | 12th | 2-3 |
| 2025 (TF) | 1st round | 11th | 2-4 |
Starts: 4
Wins: 0
No. 1 Qualifiers: 0
Event Round Record: 2-4
Track & TV Schedules
Friday and Saturday qualifying is at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. PDT. Sunday eliminations are slated for 10 a.m.
Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 10 p.m. ET on Friday and 12 p.m. on Sunday, leading into eliminations at 6:30 p.m. ET.
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