Richard Hartman and Tim Wilkerson break 4-second , 300 mph barriers By Josh Hachat

From there , the thought of racing – and breaking records – in a Fuel Altered was engrained in Hartman . It took some time , but after pairing with Tim Wilkerson on the concept a handful of years ago , records and a mind-blowing experience finally became reality for Hartman and Wilkerson .

The historic weekend took place in late March at the Texas Motorplex , when Hartman made the quickest and fastest runs in class history , smashing through some massive landmark barriers in the process .

He went as quick as 4.920 seconds in the popular patriotic-themed car , making the quickest and first foursecond run in AA / FA history , and added another historic mark by going 304.53 mph , giving Hartman and Wilkerson the first 300 mph run in

history as well . It was a remarkable feat and one that left both

Hartman and Wilkerson glowing all weekend .

“ It was real fast . It was the quickest I ’ ve ever been ,” Hartman says . “ It left really strong , bobbled the front end about half-track , hooked up , and then took off . That ’ s what we went there for , so that ’ s pretty awesome .

“ Since we balanced the car out , the run [ in Dallas ] was perfect ,” Hartman continues . “ It was like being in a Funny Car . The car left really strong and it was fantastic to drive . It was just incredible – everything I thought it would be and more .”

Tim Wilkerson

Hartman and Wilkerson ’ s roles were reversed on that historic weekend , with Wilkerson calling the shots on the starting line and Hartman piloting the fan-favorite Fuel Altered .

In the NHRA Funny Car ranks , it ’ s usually the veteran Wilkerson driving with Hartman on the starting line as he helps with the tuning duties .

Wilkerson called it much more nerve-wracking being the one watching instead of driving , but the elation was obvious . He knew how much this meant to Hartman and seeing it come together was a magical moment for everyone .

“ You would have thought we would have won the world championship , as happy as we were ,” Wilkerson says . “ It was just really cool . It was a lot more laid back , which made it more fun than anything , but I was more nervous [ standing on the starting line ] than racing . I felt like a duck out of water . But we all try our best to have fun doing things like this and that was exciting .”

It was momentous and an ultimate highlight for Hartman , but the dream of making history was certainly no sure thing .

He hadn ’ t been in the car , which is an old car that Wilkerson previously ran , in three years and hadn ’ t raced

Richard Hartman

a nitro car in nearly 15 years . Hartman tested in the Fuel Altered in 2017 and while they learned a lot ,

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOE MCHUGH