Ocala’s Josh Hart Wins Gatornationals in John Force Racing Debut
GAINESVILLE – Ocala native Josh Hart kicked off the NHRA season with a victory at the 57th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in his debut with John Force Racing.
The 2026 NHRA began its 75th drag racing season this weekend at Gainesville Raceway, launching another year of competition at one of drag racing’s most storied events.
Hart captured the Top Fuel win, the sport’s premier category, defeating reigning Top Fuel world champion Doug Kalitta with a 3.733-second pass at 337.83 mph. (For whatever it’s worth, Kalitta crossed the line in 3.877 seconds at 319.60 mph.) The victory was Hart’s third career Top Fuel win and his second at the Gatornationals. He earned his first Top Fuel victory in Gainesville in 2021.
“The fans’ energy here at home, I can’t put that into words,” Hart said. “They kept me going.”
Hart had big shoes to fill entering the season. After previously funding and racing with his own team, he joined John Force Racing – owned by the winningest driver in NHRA history – and took over a seat previously filled by Brittany Force, who holds the fastest (343.51 mph) and quickest (3.623s) runs in NHRA history.
And Hart delivered immediately.
Before the race, he earned the first No. 1 qualifier of his career with a blistering 3.658-second pass at a track-record 340.30 mph in his Burnyzzz/Speedmaster dragster. “We crushed every record that I have had in my career on the first weekend with John Force Racing,” he added.
Other Gatornationals winners included Chad Green, who defeated Hart’s teammate Alexis DeJoria to win Funny Car. Matt Hartford upset six-time NHRA world champion Greg Anderson in the Pro Stock final. Reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Richard Gadson started his title defense with a victory on his birthday.
Hart, for that matter, wasn’t the only standout in a new role at John Force Racing. Maddi Gordon, 21, made an impressive Top Fuel debut, advancing to the semifinals in her first start for the team. Gordon already owns a piece of NHRA history: In July 2024, she became the 100th woman to win an NHRA national event.
DeJoria also reached the Funny Car semifinals in her debut with the team, while Jordan Vandergriff advanced to the Funny Car quarterfinals in his first start for John Force Racing.
Sunday nearly ran smoothly until a sudden downpour around 3 p.m. drenched the track just before the final rounds. The NHRA Safety Safari – the sport’s full-time professional rescue team – dried the surface, and racing resumed about an hour later, producing only a brief delay between the Funny Car and Top Fuel finals.
The rest of the week was nearly immaculate, opening on Wednesday with the NHRA Gatornationals FanFest at Hart’s speed shop, Burnyzz Speed Shop in Ocala. Thursday was the first day at the track, followed by Friday qualifying for the top four categories. Saturday featured the Right Trailers Top Fuel All-Star Callout, a specialty race where top-seeded drivers literally “call out” their opponents. Four-time world champion Antron Brown defeated Clay Millican to claim an $80,000 bonus prize.
For Hart, however, the weekend began and ended with his speed shop. The Burnyzz name was emblazoned on the side of his winning dragster and even atop the left-lane timing scoreboard where he raced to victory. “It was truly a weekend of Burnyzz,” he said. “It was a storybook.”
Category: Auto Racing, Gatornationals
