Spurlock in Funny Car in 1990 and Gary Scelzi in Top Fuel in 1997.
He is the first since Darrell Russell did so 20 years ago at the traditional season-opener, the Winternationals at Pomona, Calif. Hart won with a 3.826-second elapsed time at 323.66 mph on the 1,000-foot Gainesville Raceway course to become the fourth NHRA racer to win in his first professional appearance. His line-up was fierce: six-time IHRA champion and always-dangerous Clay Millican, NHRA dominator Torrence, 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year and lightning-quick leaver Justin Ashley, and finally 2013 Top Fuel champion Shawn Langdon. “True story,” Hart said with a laugh that definitely was tinged with relief.īut along with help from crew chief Ron Douglas and their team, Hart knocked them all out. Hart had to battle four of them at Gainesville, Fla. The Biblical David sling-shotted a stunning upset. HART PULLS OFF TOP FUEL TRIUMPH IN HIS FIRST PRO RACE AT GATORNATIONALS - Debuting Top Fuel driver Josh Hart likened his Sunday task of facing current and three-time class champion Steve Torrence in the Amalie Oil Gatornationals quarterfinals as “a David and Goliath situation.”
