NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

In a bold move designed to put his R+L Carriers team on a path to the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel championship, Josh Hart has announced the hiring of veteran crew chief John Stewart to assist Ron Douglas on the R+L Carriers dragster.

 The team, which has won twice in the tough Top Fuel division, also announced they have scheduled a comprehensive test session prior to the upcoming NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways.
 
“John is a welcome addition to our team, and this move is something that both Ron and I talked about and feel is needed to get our R+L Carriers team on track for the Top Fuel world championship,” said Hart. “We are going to test prior to heading to Seattle so we can make the most of the final four regular season races prior to the start of the Countdown [to the Championship]. Competing at this level with so many intricacies involved in the modern-day Top Fuel dragster, every team has two top-tier crew chiefs or tuners with years of experience in the pits, [so] this is just what we need to be as competitive as possible.”
 
Stewart has more than five decades of experience tuning nitro Funny Cars and Top Fuel dragsters, working for some of the biggest names in the sport, including Darrell Gwynn, Don Prudhomme, Joe Amato, Shawn Langdon, and Dick LaHaie. One of Stewart’s principal strengths is his understanding of the dynamics of the intricate clutch system so critical in transforming power into performance.
 
The R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will be testing and then heading to Pacific Raceways for the NHRA Northwest Nationals, July 19-21.