NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The 2022 season of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series is off and running, and Pro Stock driver Matt Hartford is tackling this year with a very direct approach. The Phoenix-area businessman is the president and CEO of Total Seal Piston Rings by day, which means that he understands the importance of focused efficiency and assessing progress incrementally. He also does not want to repeat the latter portion of last season, which left him wanting a whole lot more.

"Our goal this year is to suck less today than we did yesterday, every day," said Hartford bluntly. "Some people might say that's a very negative way to look at things, but you could also see that as a positive. We're going to try to do better tomorrow than we did today, and we're going to focus on exceeding our own expectations." 

Last season was shiny early for Hartford as he and his Eddie Guarnaccia-tuned Total Seal Piston Rings/CIP1 Chevrolet Camaro qualified No. 3 at the season-opening NHRA Gatornationals and then claimed the No. 2 spot at the next event, the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas. 

Victory in Houston three races later was the highlight of their season, and KB Racing-powered Hartford climbed as high as No. 4 in the Pro Stock standings later in the year with a nice buildup of late-round showings. Come the Countdown to the Championship, though, things went a bit sideways. 

"We had a fast car until then," said Hartford, who finished the season No. 9 in the points – an unsettling drop after the previous two years in which he earned the No. 5 decal for his window. 

"Starting in Indy, we had a few mechanical gremlins we couldn't seem to shake, but at the end of the day, we win as a team, and we lose as a team," he continued. "We didn't perform the way that we should have in the Countdown, but instead of making excuses, I say, let's regroup, start over, and try to win this year." 

In each of the last four seasons, Hartford has added a Pro Stock trophy to a collection that also includes division wins in Comp eliminator and Top Sportsman, as well as a championship in the discontinued NHRA Sport Compact series. He would certainly like to continue the trend and build on it, but after a challenging end to the 2022 season, Hartford took a moment to breathe before stepping into a new commitment. 

"We're an independent team, we're what [Pro Stock Motorcycle racer] Matt Smith calls 'hobby racers,' and we don't make a living racing," said Hartford. "We save money by not racing, but the thing is, we really want to race. Every year I ask myself if I'm done with Pro Stock, but I knew in my heart we were coming back." 

That being said, Hartford and his wife, Amber, have become good friends with nitro Funny Car racer Bob Tasca III and his wife, Terri. Friendships between drivers that race different categories often produce unintentional rumors, and that could particularly be true when it comes to a racer like Hartford, who has eagerly stepped into hard-to-handle, heavily horsepowered cars in a variety of classes with measurable success. 

"If the opportunity ever presented itself, whether it was a long or short car, I would absolutely get in a fuel car," he said. "But at this point in my life, that's not going to happen. At least not today or this year. We're just good friends with Bob and Terri; they're great people. "

At present, Hartford is focused on the task at hand: winning in Pro Stock. There is no place he'd rather get it done than at this coming weekend's NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, Ariz. 

The event will be large for Hartford as friends, family, and associates from nearby Total Seal Piston Rings will be gathered to cheer him on. 

"Hometown races are excellent because you get to see everyone," said Hartford. "And we've been doing this a long time, they all know that concentration is key for us. They come, say hi, and then they let us do what we're there to do. It can be chaos, but I love it. We want to win everywhere, but we really want to win at home."