Josh Hart has a lot of plans, in the racing and non-racing business worlds, and he has been juggling plans for the 2022 Camping World Drag Racing Series and his Brownsburg, Ind.-headquartered race team, as well as expansions for his Ocala, Fla., Burnyzz American Classic Horsepower empire. 

The Top Fuel team owner-driver of the R+L Carriers Dragster has purchased a second operation. Like his current, extensively modified equipment, this twin he purchased from Bob Vandergriff Racing. The reason, Hart said, is “to increase my investment in the NHRA, to offer hospitality, and do a better presentation for meet-and-greets for future business partners – and maybe an opportunity for a second driver in the future.” 

Moreover, he owns a brand-new Dodge Challenger Mopar DragPak and plans to race it next season in the Factory Stock Showdown class. The original plan was for wife Brittanie Hart to drive it, but she hasn’t had the chance to prepare fully for that yet. 

“The car definitely needs some laps on it, so I’ll do it probably this upcoming year, make the debut with that car,” Josh Hart said. “When we first got possession of the car, I tagged Leah Pruett [on social media]: ‘Leah Pruett’s pretty awesome, but why does she get to have all the fun?’” 

His crew will be plenty busy during the off-season, getting that second dragster up to par with his current car that has carried him to two victories this season. 

“We’ll take our time and do it right. It’ll be worth it in the long run,” Hart said. “We’re going to start off just using it as a back-up car while we’re kind of hunting around for maybe someone else who has the wherewithal to be able to drive it. A couple of people have mentioned things. I really wish I could create an alliance with somebody that really did have good funding and good driving ability. There are a lot of opportunities right now. I’m excited about it.” 

He said he’s unsure whether to establish a rental program or team with a second driver who can generate his or her own marketing relationships. He said he has had his eye on a couple of people from the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series as potential partners. 

The rear wing of his dragster bears two words: “Anything’s Possible.” For Hart, that includes things he never even hoped were possible.  

“I never wanted to own a Top Fuel team. I wanted to drive for somebody. But I wouldn’t change it for the world now,” he said. “I’ve put myself in the position where I have the financial position to do whatever I need.” 

However, just because he could start his own Top Fuel team didn’t mean he wanted to do it. “That wasn’t the plan,” he said, although he said, “I’ve never worked for anybody else. I always tell everybody it’s The Road Less Traveled, but it’s worth it if you can stomach it.” 

One aspect of team ownership he has caught onto quickly and effectively is investing time in the companies that have invested financially in his Top Fuel effort. In this first-ever trip to California, for instance, Hart spent all day Thursday – from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. – at an R+L Carriers employment open house. It’s something he does at every one of his stops on the Camping World Drag Racing Series tour.  

R+L Carriers is involved with Hart and drag racing because it is looking to attract quality applicants to fill truck-driving positions. And Hart said the trucking company “absolutely” is getting them: “They’re doing very well with it. The dragster’s a good pull. But they won’t give out tickets. They won’t do anything to jeopardize the pool, per se. They’re really trying to focus on just getting good applicants. It has been pretty neat to watch. I’m just basically the conduit. And that early success just might sway R+L Carriers to return with Hart next year. “We’re working on it now,” Hart said, “but the rumors are yes.” 

Sometimes, that seemingly never-ending game of Monopoly comes to life for the 38-year-old businessman. Just a few days ago, Brittanie Hart forced him to think about his insatiable urge to work hard and acquire more automotive-related businesses. 

“There’s a company in Ocala that we’re looking to buy out. She sat me down and said, ‘I love you more than anything else in the world, but when is enough enough?’ I said, ‘I don’t know. I never stopped to think about it.’ I just kept on going. She wants to enjoy life, and I’m still plugging away. She’s probably right. I told her the truth: ‘I never stopped to look around. That’s the first roadblock she has ever presented to me. It’s probably time to cool a little bit and get settled in.” 

It probably is, but for the immediate future, Hart said, it’s “full steam ahead. This is something that I’ve been planning for a while. After this, I might yield to my wife’s advice. There’s just a lot of moving pieces: the race team in Indianapolis and the multiple businesses that we own in Ocala. It’s just time to get this last one bought and settle in and start enjoying life a little bit. This is something I thought would double our sales revenue. 

“I feel like I’m extremely methodical in my chess game. You’re playing Monopoly, but you’re playing Monopoly in real life,” he said. 

Hart is just as calculating in his racing operation. For example, elevating crew chief Ron Douglas to partner was strategic. 

“Everybody is scrambling right now: This person’s going to that person. Truthfully, I didn’t know what ‘Silly Season’ was. Somebody said it to me, and I go, ‘What’s that?’ I thought, ‘Oh, wow.’ I didn’t know – rookie. I called Ron into my office, and I said, ‘Hey, why don’t I just make you a partner of this? I’ll give you x-percent, and if you leave me, you walk away from your cut, and if you stay with me as we build this operation, we’ll build it into a multimillion-dollar team. And when we sell it, you take x-percent.’ He goes, like, ‘Wow. Really?’ 

“So I’m trying to make NHRA involved, too, just take care of the people who take care of you,” Hart said. 

Inclusion is a Hart hallmark. Maybe that’s because when he was a boy growing up in Northeast Indiana, his family was, by admission, “extremely poor – like, got to figure out how to get food. That starts a fire in your soul that maybe won’t ever go out. You just keep on going. 

“I was really, really poor in elementary and middle school. There was the Michael Jordan Retro Taxi tennis shoes that came out, and I could never have those. I got picked on when I was at school. So when I won my first race in alcohol – it was the Indianapolis Nationals – I went out and spent all that money on every pair of Michael Jordan Retro Taxi tennis shoes that I could buy. I mean, I bought every color combination. It was just ridiculous,” Hart said. “As far as the material stuff goes, I feel like I have what I want. Now it’s about taking care of my family. The businesses is that effort to not ever go back to that place. If every business kicks off a positive revenue stream, that’s kind of like building a portfolio in the stock market. My thirst is quenched, as far as the ‘stuff’ goes. I have my cars that I love.” 

From real-life’s Baltic Avenue to Boardwalk, Josh Hart has passed Go and collected way more than $200. He’s gobbling up properties, becoming a tycoon – a benevolent one, donating contingency money to Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series regulars, giving hours of time to sponsors, valuing his employees, and fattening his wallet for his family . . . all while remembering “Anything’s Possible.”