JOSH HART SET TO BE HIS OWN BOSS

by Susan Wade    Sat, 2021-03-13 16:35

 

Josh Hart finally got it done. He had planned to step up to the Top Fuel ranks a year ago, with Bob Vandergriff Racing. It was going to be perfect: Hart lives down the road at Ocala, and just as with every other class in which he has competed, he would make his first Top Fuel passes on home turf.

But with most of the pro and sportsman racers assembled at Gainesville Raceway last March, the NHRA joined every other sport in suspending its season. That offered both Hart and Vandergriff a chance to take a step back and reassess their program together. Their mutual decision was that Hart’s best bet would be to own his own team.

With funding from Burnyzz and Technet and accomplished tuner Ron Douglas as crew chief, Hart is seeing his dream become reality. Before the opening qualifying session Friday, Hart said the experience would “be pretty surreal,” because “I never thought I was going to be here. You hear all the rumors about money, sponsors . . .  For the stars to align enough for me to be able to do this, it’s an honor.”

Veteran tuner Ron Douglas, who has more than two decades of experience working for drag-racing teams, will lead the crew.

“He’s been amazing to work with,” Hart said. “He knows how to get the car down the track 99 percent of the time. You have confidence sitting in the car that it’s going to go A to B. He also doesn’t blow a lot of stuff up. I think I made the right choice. I don’t have to worry about the equipment with Ron. The team knows what to do. They’ve done a great job.”

Hart said he wasn’t nervous about his first Top Fuel appearance but did say, “I’m nervous about getting more laps under my belt. I’m nervous about getting more comfortable in the car. I’m pretty comfortable, but there’s no price for the experience. Around Atlanta or Charlotte, you’ll start to see my reaction times on point and things starting to come together. Right now, everything is new, and I’m just trying to get settled.”

He did make several practice passes Tuesday to prepare for the Gatornationals. But he might not be as prepared for the flood of ticket requests and his own growing local cheering section. “I’m sure a lot of people will be there,” he said. “That’s piling on the pressure.”

One thing that eased his concerns is Krista Baldwin’s pro debut here this weekend, as well. “That’s pretty cool,” he said. “It’s nice to have new people coming into the sport. The more independent people will only help this sport grow. It’s going to be tough competing against the multi-car teams. I’m trying to build an equal model to Capco (Steve Torrence/Billy Torrence). I have a lot of admiration for those guys. They have a strong business. They do not have to worry about sponsors. They have a strong family, and they have a badass race team.”

So does Hart. In his first trip down the 1,000-foot course, he impressed with a 3.768-second elapsed time at 322.44 mph.

 

 

 

 
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