Hart, Green and Hartford Shine Like Diamonds at the Opening Salvo of the NHRA Championship Season
There were diamonds in the sky as NHRA’s Mission Foods Drag Racing Series began its 75th season on the historic Gainesville Raceway dragstrip in the Florida city of the same name. The records will show the initial diamond-colored Wallys went to Ocala resident Josh Hart in Top Fuel, back-to-back Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals Funny Car winner Chad Green, KB Titan Racing’s Matt Hartford in Pro Stock (ending a 40-race drought) and reigning first-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champ and birthday boy Richard Gadson.
How they got there and how it all transpired is the story of conquering a track that appeared to favor its left lane since testing began almost two weeks earlier, changes in personnel throughout the ranks and the ascension of new and returning riders, drivers and teams to the Mission Foods ranks.
The long, long offseason was filled with change. Most notable was the activity at John Force Racing. With Jack Beckman being the only driver who worked with the team last year, there were bound to be questions about whether they could answer the bell. The answer is an unequivocal yes. Hart, who hadn’t won since his rookie season in 2021, when he executed two victories as the driver and owner of Josh Hart Racing, has settled into JFR seemingly without any difficulty.
Hart reset the track record on Friday, earned his first career No. 1 qualifier on Saturday and romped through the Top Fuel field like he owned it on Sunday. That Hart beat reigning two-time TF champ Doug Kalitta in his final round match-up shows that the tune-up from JFR’s David Grubnic and John Collins suits the Floridian’s driving to a “T”. On Sunday, before meeting Kalitta, Hart dispensed with Canada’s Dan Mercier, former Gatornationals winner Tripp Tatum III and four-time TF titleholder Antron Brown, who earned his second Right Trailers Top Fuel All-Star Callout victory on Saturday.
Hart gave up his self-owned squad – and made sure his employees landed well – to join JFR. What had been a truly tough few seasons dissipated with the first round of qualifying. The dour look was removed from his face and Hart’s smile was omnipresent. “I’m so grateful for everybody,” Hart said. “I got the crap kicked out of me for four years and I’m having a hard time believing this is happening. I have so many people to thank and there was so much energy from these fans today. John Force, thank you for picking me.”
For Green, whose calmness throughout the race meeting spoke to his own confidence in both his team and equipment. While he didn’t earn the No. 1 slot in qualifying – that went to Ron Capps – Green managed his time and equipment better than anyone, even earning round wins in the despised right lane. Green, driving a Ford Mustang, turned the tables on Ford’s marquee driver, Austin Prock, who took over the seat formerly occupied by Bob Tasca III. Prock, his father Jimmy and brother Thomas are charged with turning the team around after a tough 2025 season with Tasca at the helm. Of 19 drivers on the grounds, the Tasca Racing entry was 19th on the qualifying totem pole. Uncharacterically, the team’s entire pit space was empty on Sunday, which left the sellout crowd very disappointed.
Still, Sunday belonged to those that made the field and, along with Green, the accolades went to Alexis DeJoria, making her first John Force Racing start with former driver Mike “Zippy” Neff as her crew chief. While Green was placing the cars of Terry Haddock, four-time champ Matt Hagan and Jordan Vandergriff (in his first FC race ever with JFR) back in their trailers, DeJoria was doing the same on her side of the ladder, beating two-time champ Cruz Pedregon in a first-round pedalfest, 2025 Rookie of the Year Spencer Hyde and 2018 champ J.R. Todd. DeJoria had lane choice and kept the left lane. It didn’t matter; Green had the right lane’s number and earned that glorious diamond trophy for his second straight win here.
“It was another one of those great days of racing, when I never saw another car net to me on the starting line. I knew Hagan would be tough in the second round,” he said of his holeshot win. “That was a big one! Then the crew gave me a great car for the semis and finals. We had a good test session a few weeks ago and the guys learned a lot about this track.” With a thunderstorm delay between semis and finals, “They knew what to do at the right time. To win any race is tough, but winning the Gatornationals back to back is very special.”
Matt Hartford, like Josh Hart has had a drought on his hands. Always in the mix and looking like he could overcome his 40-race drought, Hartford hadn’t seen that all- important win light since 2023 at Indianapolis and Maple Grove. Qualifying No. 2 to fellow KB Titan racer Cody Coughlin, Hartford beat Kenny Delco, Elite Motorsports’ Aaron Stanfield and reigning titleholder Dallas Glenn to meet six-time champ Greg Anderson in the finals. With three of his four combatants from the same stable and getting similar equipment, Hartford put his head down and his foot flat.
“This is going to be the most grueling Pro Stock season we’ve seen,” Hartford said to the media after his victory. “The caliber of the drivers who are out there right now are over the top. It’s just so competitive from all the camps right now. You make one mistake, you’re not qualifying.” Anderson, amazingly went to his 192nd final round at this race, displaying the confidence that places fear in his competition. In his second round, after beating Deric Kramer, Anderson beat his son Cody, making his Pro Stock debut after winning his first round bout against Greg Stanfield, and familiar foe Erica Enders in their semifinal bout.
Some folks had questions about Richard Gadson, who made his Suzuki Hayabusa3 Pro Stock Motorcycle debut with Vance and Hines Motorsports last year. Was he up to it? Could he beat his teammate, two-time champ Gaige Herrera? Could he string together enough results to be relevant? Turning 40 on race day and receiving his winner’s jacket and ring, Gadson answered all questions with a resounding “yes”. Angie Smith and her Matt Smith Racing Buell were the stars of qualifying, but on race day it was V&H and Suzuki on top. To reach the final round, Gadson removed three Suzuki motorcycles from competition: fellow V&H racer Geno Scali and Chase Van Sant of WAR Racing. Then the scales tipped his direction when Clontz Racing rider Clayton Howey fouled at the line.
That semifinal result allowed Gadson his trip to the finals and a bout with Matt Smith Racing’s John Hall, whose Buell earned two victories last year. Although he’d been doing well from the right lane, Gadson went to the left side for his last run of the day and won a very close race against Hall: 6.753, 200.05 to Hall’s 6.799, 198.38. Gadson dedicated the win to cousin Rickey’s late teenage daughter Layla, who passed last month due to illness. “I’d say this is a pretty resounding statement to open the season,” Gadson said after using an .018 RT to defeat Hall. “You know, I like to say it was a long winter. I kind of still felt like I had something to prove.” A winner of three consecutive titles before hanging up his leathers, “Matt Hines [team member] told me before we left the shop. He said, ‘Don’t race like you’re the world champion. Race the same way that got you the championship. Don’t let up.’ So, that was what I did and it worked out for me this weekend.”
The race meeting was dry until after the semifinals on Sunday, when a rapidly-moving thunderstorm emptied the full grandstands for a couple of hours. The NHRA’s vaunted safety team was able to quickly clean the track so the fans and teams could complete this glorious weekend. With full stands both Saturday and Sunday, NHRA has to be pleased with the start of its 75th season. For now, all but four of its competitors have two weeks to salve their wounds and head to Phoenix for the second race of this special season. On March 20-22, the FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs will take place at Firebird Motorsports Park in Phoenix.