When asked what he wanted to change from 2023 to 2024 veteran NHRA Pro Stock driver Matt Hartford didn’t hesitate with an answer.

“Turn that 3 into a 1,” Hartford said.

That 3 is – third – where Hartford finished in the 2023 Pro Stock season standings. He was 131 points behind world champion Erica Enders.

Although Hartford came up short of reaching the top of the Pro Stock mountain, he had plenty to be happy about during his career-best season.

He won three races – Norwalk, Ohio, Indianapolis and Reading, Pa. – and was runner-up twice at Pomona, Calif., and Charlotte, N.C., in the spring. He compiled a 31-15 elimination-round record.

“We had a fantastic season,” Hartford said. “Our entire team pulled together and showed that we can be a contender and KB provided us with great horsepower and Jerry Haas builds a great race car and you couple those three things together and you have a chance to win anywhere you go and a chance to win the championship.”

Hartford said in 2024 he will be running a Camaro again and getting power from KB Titan Racing.

“(Last season), we had some additional sponsors and GETTRX was on our car for many races last year, which allowed us to have some additional funding, which allowed us to get some of the parts and supplies that we weren’t able to in the past, which really helped us be able to have some newer technology that we didn’t simply have in the past,” Hartford said. “Honestly, the support of Steve Bryson and Pat Galvin from GETTRX made a big difference for us last year.”

Hartford said GETTRX, “the Fastest Name in Credit Card Processing,” will be the primary sponsor on his car for 17 of the 21 races on the 2023 NHRA schedule.

“Total Seal will be on the car in Phoenix and then the Hose Connection will be on the car for Dallas and then Rottler will be on for Seattle for sure and then one other race that I’m not sure of yet,” Hartford said. “(These sponsors) make us feel like that we have a chance. Obviously, you have 20 good cars out there and 16 cars every weekend can qualify No. 1 and win the race. I feel that we are one of those cars. If we just keep our heads down and focus on our team and focus on making the right calls and I can drive a little bit better under pressure, I think we have a chance to go out there and win a lot of races.”

Hartford has won eight career Pro Stock NHRA national events and a couple from 2023 standout to him.

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​“Winning Indy was great and winning Reading was really icing on the cake,” Hartford said. “We legitimately had a car that decided not to run in qualifying (in Reading). We would shut off every qualifying run. We had to go offsite, and we worked on it late Saturday night and it was amazing that we even qualified. Then, we came back and won the race, which was rain-delayed until Monday.

“To go those eight rounds in a row was incredible to win those two races.”

Hartford’s journey to world championship contender has had plenty of blood, sweat and tears. From 2006 to 2012, he competed in a grand total of 18 races. From 2018-2022, he won one national event a year until his breakout season in 2023.

“It makes me really happy that at the end of the day, when we win a race, we can send a trophy home with my crew chief Eddie (Guarnaccia), my wife Amber and my brother, Adam and also send one to all of our sponsors, that to me is really gratifying,” Hartford said. “That’s because there are so many people that worked so hard and supported us in so many different ways and when you can give back to them, that’s what is meaningful.”

The 2024 NHRA gets underway March 7-10 at the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., but Hartford will be racing before that event.

He has two cars entered in the inaugural Scag Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout presented by Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage, Feb. 8-10 in Bradenton, Fla. The Pro Stock winner will take home $125,000.

"I will be running one car and Dave Connolly will be running the other one,” said Hartford, who added that both cars will essentially be identical Camaros. “GETTRX will be onboard both cars (in Bradenton). This is a joint venture between us and KB putting the car out there. Greg (Anderson) and I put together a deal where we are furnishing the car, and it is (KB’s) powerplant. We are putting Connolly in the car, and it is a joint venture of trying to go out and not only qualify No. 1 but win the race and have another very experienced driver in the car. It just gives us one extra horse in the race.

“I’m excited for the race. Rob (Leipziger) is bringing (Connolly’s car) in his hauler, and he will have his business on display which is great for him, and he will be there working on the car with us. Rob runs all those $1 million races, so he knows Dave Connolly from those. We will be running out of his hauler and the hauler will say Rob’s on the side, which is good promotion for him.”

Connolly, a crew chief for KB Titan Racing, is a 26-time winner as a Pro Stock driver. Rob's Automotive & Collision Center also will be a sponsor on the hood of Hartford’s car.

“The car Dave is running will be a brand-new car,” Hartford said. “We will be rolling into Bradenton to test that car. We will test both cars, but in Bradenton those will be the first runs on the car Dave is driving.”