BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Sept. 23, 2026) – Top Fuel and Funny Car crew chiefs and drivers are known for the staggering amount of information they usually have at their disposal when preparing for a NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series event but Speedmaster Top Fuel driver Josh Hart is taking the opposite approach as he prepares for the Sept. 25-27 inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock at Rockingham (N.C.) Dragway.
The 2026 season-opening NHRA Gatornationals winner is not focusing on terabytes of data or his lack of firsthand experience competing at The Rock. Instead, he is leaning on his faith and confidence in the Dave Grubnic/John Collins-led team to get him from A to B the quickest and fastest way possible in the 12,000-horsepower Speedmaster dragster.
The Speedmaster team is currently sixth in the point standings, 19 points back of fifth place and just 22 to fourth place.
John Force Racing’s Cornwell Tools team’s win in the NHRA Great Lakes Nationals at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park made Jordan Vandergriff the ninth John Force Racing driver to win a Countdown to the Championship race and, in doing so, earned the organization’s 45th Countdown event. He joins John Force (7 Countdown wins), Robert Hight (16), Brittany Force (7), Austin Prock (7), Mike Neff (2), Courtney Force (2), Jack Beckman (2) and Ashley Force Hood (1).
The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel point standings after 15 of 20 races are: 1. Shawn Langdon, 2,217; 2. Doug Kalitta, 2,206; 3. Tony Stewart, 2,138; 4. Antron Brown, 2,115; 5. Leah Pruett, 2,112; 6. Josh Hart, 2,093; 7. Billy Torrence, 2,077; 8. Maddi Gordon, 2,074; 9. (tie) Justin Ashley, 2,046; Will Smith, 2,046.
Quotes
What’s it going to be like racing at The Rock for the first time?
“I think that for a driver, the less that I know, the better. You have to put your faith and your trust in your team, which I have done all year long and they’ve delivered. So, we go to Rockingham without a lot of notes but with an open mind so I’m very confident that we’ll deliver.”
Which driver, past or present, would you like to line up against at least once?
“I have had the honor of lining up against many of the people that I looked up to as I was watching the sport but I worked with Don Garlits on his electric dragster program. I was the one who physically strapped him in the car and backed him up. I couldn’t believe that at that time, he was 86 or 87 years old, how good his reaction times still were. So, I’d love to line up against Don Garlits.”
Weekend Appearances
Hart will be signing autographs at the following times and locations: Thurs., Sept. 24, from 6:30-7:15 p.m. at Harrington Square in downtown Rockingham, N.C.; and Sat., Sept. 26, from 9:30-10 a.m. at the Cornwell Quality Tools midway display.
Track Schedule
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 2 and 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 25 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 12 and 2:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 27.
TV Schedule
Television coverage on Sun., Sept. 27, includes qualifying on FS1 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET before eliminations action at from 3 – 6 p.m.
2026 Results
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The 2026 season-opening NHRA Gatornationals winner is not focusing on terabytes of data or his lack of firsthand experience competing at The Rock. Instead, he is leaning on his faith and confidence in the Dave Grubnic/John Collins-led team to get him from A to B the quickest and fastest way possible in the 12,000-horsepower Speedmaster dragster.
The Speedmaster team is currently sixth in the point standings, 19 points back of fifth place and just 22 to fourth place.
John Force Racing’s Cornwell Tools team’s win in the NHRA Great Lakes Nationals at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park made Jordan Vandergriff the ninth John Force Racing driver to win a Countdown to the Championship race and, in doing so, earned the organization’s 45th Countdown event. He joins John Force (7 Countdown wins), Robert Hight (16), Brittany Force (7), Austin Prock (7), Mike Neff (2), Courtney Force (2), Jack Beckman (2) and Ashley Force Hood (1).
The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel point standings after 15 of 20 races are: 1. Shawn Langdon, 2,217; 2. Doug Kalitta, 2,206; 3. Tony Stewart, 2,138; 4. Antron Brown, 2,115; 5. Leah Pruett, 2,112; 6. Josh Hart, 2,093; 7. Billy Torrence, 2,077; 8. Maddi Gordon, 2,074; 9. (tie) Justin Ashley, 2,046; Will Smith, 2,046.
Quotes
What’s it going to be like racing at The Rock for the first time?
“I think that for a driver, the less that I know, the better. You have to put your faith and your trust in your team, which I have done all year long and they’ve delivered. So, we go to Rockingham without a lot of notes but with an open mind so I’m very confident that we’ll deliver.”
Which driver, past or present, would you like to line up against at least once?
“I have had the honor of lining up against many of the people that I looked up to as I was watching the sport but I worked with Don Garlits on his electric dragster program. I was the one who physically strapped him in the car and backed him up. I couldn’t believe that at that time, he was 86 or 87 years old, how good his reaction times still were. So, I’d love to line up against Don Garlits.”
Weekend Appearances
Hart will be signing autographs at the following times and locations: Thurs., Sept. 24, from 6:30-7:15 p.m. at Harrington Square in downtown Rockingham, N.C.; and Sat., Sept. 26, from 9:30-10 a.m. at the Cornwell Quality Tools midway display.
Track Schedule
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 2 and 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 25 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 12 and 2:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 27.
TV Schedule
Television coverage on Sun., Sept. 27, includes qualifying on FS1 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET before eliminations action at from 3 – 6 p.m.
2026 Results
| Event | Qualify | Round by Round | Round Record | Points Position |
| Gainesville | 1 | Beat Dan Mercier, Tripp Tatum, Antron Brown, Doug Kalitta | 4-0 | 1 |
| Phoenix | 10 | Beat Justin Ashley; lost to Leah Pruett | 5-1 | 2 |
| Pomona1 | 2 | Beat Cameron Ferre; lost to Tony Stewart | 6-2 | 4 |
| Charlotte | 4 | Lost in 1st quad | 6-3 | 5 |
| Valdosta | 9 | Lost to Leah Pruett | 6-4 | 5 |
| Chicago | 4 | Beat Justin Ashley, Tony Stewart; lost to Shawn Langdon | 8-5 | 5 |
| Maryland | 7 | Lost to Clay Millican | 8-6 | 5 |
| Epping | 3 | Beat Rit Pustari; lost to Billy Torrence | 9-7 | 4 |
| Bristol | 6 | Lost to Doug Kalitta | 9-8 | 6 |
| Norwalk | 2 | Beat Scott Farley; lost to Clay Millican | 10-9 | 7 |
| Sonoma | 8 | Lost to Jasmine Salinas | 10-10 | 7 |
| Seattle | 1 | Bye, beat Tony Stewart; lost to Leah Pruett | 12-11 | 7 |
| Brainerd | 10 | Lost to Tony Stewart | 12-12 | 7 |
| Indianapolis | 12 | Lost to Leah Pruett | 12-13 | 7 |
| Martin | 2 | Beat Shawn Reed; Lost to Spencer Massey | 13-14 | 6 |
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