At the end of the three races in three weeks stretch Josh Hart and the TechNet Brakes for Breasts Top Fuel dragster team are looking to the Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway as a chance to ramp up their NHRA championship momentum. There are four races left in the NHRA playoffs and Hart’s chances of making a serious run at his first Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel world championship have to start this weekend. The four-year pro has built a top-tier team from the ground up, but this season has been full of trials and tribulations to this point.
“This has been one of the toughest seasons of my racing career and I am looking to make the most of these last four races,” said Hart, a two-time Top Fuel national event winner. “We have a great team with great support from TechNet as well as R+L Carriers. Every race there are over a dozen Top Fuel teams that have a legitimate shot to win the race and that is unprecedented in modern drag racing. There is only one championship trophy, and I want to do everything I can to try and win it.”This will be Hart’s fourth trip to the race track in the shadow of the St. Louis Arch and the businessman from Ocala, Florida, is looking to recapture some of his earlier career success. Two years ago, he raced to the finals from the No. 2 qualifier spot dropping a close race to Steve Torrence. At that race Hart outran Scott Palmer, Mike Salinas and Shawn Langdon before coming up a few hundredths of a second short to Torrence. In his first appearance at the Midwest Nationals in 2021, Hart raced to the semifinals from the No. 10 spot upsetting Justin Ashley and Brittany Force before being stopped by Torrence.
“Steve Torrence has had our number in St. Louis,” said Hart. “He is the only driver to beat me in the past three years. Hopefully, we can avoid matching up with him and see what we can do with this TechNet Brakes for Breasts Top Fuel dragster. Steve is an awesome competitor and we’ll be ready for him or anyone else in the class.”
For the second race in a row Hart will be drawing attention to the Brakes for Breasts program with his sponsor TechNet. Part of the Advance Auto Parts portfolio of brands, TechNet Professional Automotive Service features a network of more than 15,000 repair shops across the U.S. and Canada. TechNet shops are locally owned and focused on delivering exceptional customer care and service. Shops that are part of TechNet Nation employ highly skilled and trained staff while also using quality parts from Carquest, DieHard® batteries and other leading brands.
Hart hopes his efforts with the Brakes for Breasts Top Fuel dragster and the additional social and media promotion at the Midwest Nationals this weekend will help raise awareness for the 1 in 8 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. All the funds raised will go towards the Cleveland Clinic Breast Cancer Vaccine Research Fund.
“I am very proud to be associated with TechNet and the Brakes for Breasts program,” said Hart. “This program does an amazing job of raising donations for breast cancer research and engaging the thousands of TechNet shops and their customers. I can’t wait to get this pink TechNet Brakes for Breasts Top Fuel dragster on the track and into the winner’s circle.”
There are several ways for consumers to help the program through their donations. Fans and supporters can visit their local TechNet repair shop to give or get up to $40 on their qualifying brake service. Consumers can receive up to $40 rebate in the form of a TechNet Professional Prepaid Mastercard or $10 rebate per axle on Carquest Premium Gold brakes and $20 rebate per axle on Carquest Professional Platinum brakes. To find your local TechNet Professional Automotive Service Center, click here and help us put the brakes on breast cancer!
Hart and the Brakes for Breasts Top Fuel dragster will be on track for two qualifying runs on Friday, September 27 and two more qualifiers on Saturday, September 28. The quickest 16 Top Fuel dragsters will line up on Sunday, September 29 with the first round slated for 11 a.m. CDT. The race will be broadcast nationally on FS1.
This story was originally published on September 26, 2024.
The post Josh Hart Looks to Midwest Nationals to Jump Start Countdown first appeared on Drag Illustrated.