Well, that didn’t take long.
In his debut race for John Force Racing, Josh Hart captured the Top Fuel title at the 2026 season-opening Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals.
Hart clocked a 3.733-second run at 337.83 mph in his JFR Burnyzz Speed Shop/Speedmaster dragster to defeat reigning champion Doug Kalitta’s 3.877, 319.60, at Gainesville (FL) Raceway on Sunday.
“It was truly a week or a weekend at Burnyzz Speed Shop,” Hart said of the shop he owns in Ocala, less than an hour from the track. “We had Burnyzz on the side of the car. We had Burnyzz in the lane that I just won in. We had Burnyzz on the scoreboards. And we had Fan Fest, and it was just awesome. The last time I did this, it was a storybook. I think we just beat it.
“We crushed every record that I have had in my career all in the first weekend with John Force Racing. So those guys are absolutely awesome. The most professional team I’ve ever been a part of, and communication is second to none. John Force is amazing. Just wanted to say thank you to John Force and Brittany Force for even considering me, let alone picking me to take that seat, and I’ll get more comfortable and we’ll win more races.”
This was Hart’s third career Top Fuel Wally. His others came in his rookie Top Fuel season in 2021 as team owner/driver. He won his rookie debut race at the Gatornationals by defeating Shawn Langdon in the final round, and then captured the fall race in Charlotte, N.C., that year by upending Brittany Force in the finals.
This weekend was even better. Hart earned his first career Top Fuel No. 1 qualifying position with a 3.658-second lap at a track record speed of 340.30 mph on March 6.
In his postrace press conference, Hart addressed the steps that happened that led to him being in the cockpit for JFR.
“I would say Indianapolis of last year. [John] Force walked up to the support vehicle and he said, ‘Your contract will be on your desk when you get home.’ And I thought, ‘Okay, that means I have a lot of preparation to do.’ Family and fitness and finances had to be all rearranged,” said Hart, who added that he and Force started seriously talking about a contract (Aug. 14-17) at the Brainerd, Minn., national event.
“So that’s when I started preparing. I mean, I lost 15 pounds. I started focusing on reactions, started paying attention to closing my team down with dignity, making sure everybody landed where they wanted to land. And then I had the offseason to think about it and really clear my head to prepare.”
The final round against Kalitta didn’t come without nerves, starting with a rain delay.
“The last time I [had a rain delay] in the final round was in Norwalk (Ohio) in 2022,” Hart said. “It rained and [Mike] Salinas, I’ll never forget it. I walked by their pit; they were changing engines and we did not. We’d already warmed up. So, we stayed the course and we lost. All I wanted to do was give R&L another trophy. So that was a tough, tough loss. But the same emotions. It’s raining. You’re like, ‘Oh, my God.’ And then get in the car, get out of the car, get in the car, get out of the car. So, you’re standing there and you’re like, ‘Just get it over with. Let’s go. Put the rain tires on this thing, I’ll drive it.’”
Once the race happened – it was a blur – until he got out of the driver’s seat.
“No, I never saw him [Kalitta]. So, he’s a class act. He came up right away, congratulated me. I’ve looked up to those guys for a long time. I think Shawn Langdon’s really one of my favorites, so he’s taught me a lot of lessons,” Hart said. “I think you really got to go into this thing and just say it doesn’t matter who’s in the other lane. It really doesn’t. You go up there and you’re racing yourself. You run the lane, you know. Anything’s possible. You go up there, you do your job, the cards will fall wherever they fall.
“I mean, it’s definitely a confidence builder just knowing that you have a competitive car. And those guys deliver every time. Ss a driver, I think the semifinals was me proving that I can still drive the car, pedaling it without banging the blower and making sure I got it down the track without really hurting the car. But that’s the confidence pusher. You just need more seat time.”
After qualifying No. 1, Hart disposed of Dan Mercier, Tripp Tatum, Antron Brown, and Kalitta.
In the semis, Hart won a pedal fest against Brown. He clocked a 4.488-second time at 289.51 mph to edge Brown’s 4.552, 346.93.
“Again, it’s a storybook ending. I mean, we crushed all of our first-quarter priority goals all in one weekend,” Hart said. “That must have been his mentality coming into it. Okay, [crew chief Dave Grubnic] told me this, ‘We’re going to check all this off the box, get it off here, let’s go.’ It’s been just absolutely epic. The fans’ energy here at home, I can’t put that into words. I mean, they kept me going. I was tired. I’m beat. I know my guys are beat, and they just kept … Everybody is standing around. Everybody’s cheering when you do the warmups. I mean, I forgot what that felt like.”
If winning wasn’t enough, Hart also received a special diamond Wally as part of a tribute to NHRA’s 75th anniversary.
“When you think about driving for John Force, that by itself is just monumental. But to do what we just did this weekend, makes it absolutely better,” Hart said in comparing Sunday’s victory to his first Top Fuel win at the Gators five years ago. “This was a blast. I mean, wow. And she’s here [Hart’s wife, Brittanie]. She was in the boxes somewhere. I requested her presence in the winner’s circle, but she’s got the kids, so. She’s right though. We’re spending crazy amounts of money to go out there and it’s not a lot of fun.I don’t know how bad the record was, but I know it was bad. I think we just went four rounds, that’s (more than) half of last season’s round wins, if I remember right, to put it in perspective.”
Last year, Hart posted a 7-19 elimination-round record, losing in the first round 12 times and the quarterfinals seven.
It wasn’t lost on Hart that this is the first season since 1978 that a Force isn’t driving.
“It’s epic. And they’re still very much involved, by the way,” Hart said. “[With] Ashley [Force], we text once every couple of weeks talking about social media and internet things, and Brittany’s always encouraging. John’s right there at every pass so far and gives me a fist bump, saying, ‘Hey, kid, you’re doing a great job. Keep it up.’ It’s awesome. It’s awesome.
“When everything that you’ve always feared has already happened, it changes your mentality. And just staying humble, doing the right thing, signing that last little girl’s autograph, that means something. Those kids are waiting out there for you, so you need to be out on the ropes. You need to be fan interactive, and it’s everything to me. That’s why I’m so quiet. I say exactly what I mean. I don’t mince words. I don’t have to. I’ve known what I’m capable of for a long time.”
