Matt Hartford might lease engines from KB-Titan Racing, but that’s as far as the teammate mentality goes.
While the rest of the Pro Stock world tends to view KB-Titan as one massive operation, Hartford continues to operate as an independent force. On Sunday at Bristol Dragway, that lone-wolf approach delivered another statement victory.
Hartford defeated defending event winner Greg Anderson in the final round of the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, posting a 6.672-second run at 205.60 mph in his Total Seal Chevrolet Camaro. The victory was Hartford’s third of the season, 11th of his career and his first triumph at Bristol after more than two decades of trying.
The win came one day after Hartford claimed the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, completing one of the strongest weekends of his Pro Stock career.
“To win at Bristol is something … I’ve raced here since the very early 2000s, never been able to actually win Bristol,” Hartford said. “So to win at Bristol, it’s an awesome feeling. We had a great car all weekend this weekend.”
Hartford’s path to victory wasn’t built against a soft field.
He defeated Shane Tucker, Cody Anderson and Aaron Stanfield before lining up against Anderson, the winningest driver in Pro Stock history. The final represented another chapter in a rivalry Hartford openly admits has historically leaned heavily in Anderson’s favor.
“Greg’s beat me a lot more than I’ve ever beat him,” Hartford said. “I think there’s still a few more that we’re going to try to do.”
What makes Hartford’s season notable is not simply the wins. It’s where they have come and how they have been achieved.
Three victories before the summer stretch would have sounded ambitious in previous seasons. Hartford believes this version of his team is better than the one that won three races in 2023 because the success has arrived earlier and with more consistency.
“I was really bummed after last weekend because I thought we could have won the final last weekend too,” Hartford said. “To win a round is difficult, let alone to win a race. To win three is … It’s our best season that we’ve ever had right now.”
Momentum has become a recurring theme in Hartford’s season.
As the tour heads to Norwalk, he believes his Camaro has found a comfort zone in the same conditions many competitors dread. Heat, humidity and changing track conditions have become allies rather than obstacles.
“We’re rolling into Norwalk next week,” Hartford said. “I’m really looking forward to a nice hot and humid Norwalk because our car’s pretty happy in these conditions at Bristol. Some people’s cars are really happy at sea level and clean air. Ours just seems to be happy when it’s miserable for us inside the car.”
The success becomes even more remarkable considering Hartford’s operation remains one of the smallest among the championship contenders.
While larger teams arrive with extensive personnel and layers of support, Hartford prefers a streamlined approach built around trust and clearly defined responsibilities. The four-person operation has become one of the most efficient teams in the category.
“I love the fact that we’re a four person team,” Hartford said. “We each have a job to do. No one does anybody else’s job and it’s a routine, so that way we always know every step has been completed. I like having the small team. I like it because it’s my family and I like it just because we’re so close knit.”
That independence extends to his relationship with KB-Titan.
Despite running leased engines from the same source as Anderson and Dallas Glenn, Hartford insists there is no behind-the-scenes sharing of setup information, tuning notes or race-day strategy. Whatever success his team enjoys is earned on its own.
“I couldn’t tell you one thing about any part of their tuneup, set up, anything,” Hartford said. “There was not one ounce of data shared on any level between the two teams.”
Hartford’s victory came at the expense of Anderson, who left Bristol with the Pro Stock points lead despite shaking the tires in the championship round. Anderson now holds an 11-point advantage over reigning world champion Dallas Glenn, while Hartford remains firmly planted in the title chase.
The victory also reinforced what has become the defining characteristic of Hartford’s season. The team has stopped trying to outsmart itself.
Instead, Hartford and crew chief Eddie Guarnaccia have learned to trust the information in front of them and avoid the second-guessing that can derail a race weekend. It is a simple philosophy, but one that has produced three wins before the calendar reaches summer.
“What we’ve done is we’ve taken certain things off my plate and certain things off his plate to where we actually don’t communicate about them,” Hartford said. “We give each other all the high-level notes, everything that we need for the run, but we don’t get into all the minutia to get ourselves confused, so to speak, and it helps me keep my head clear.”
