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TORRENCE BACK IN CONTROL
Reigning Champion Wins Summit Nationals for Second Time

NORWALK, Ohio – Steve Torrence celebrated his nomination for a “Best Driver” ESPY by winning Sunday’s 13th annual Summit Racing Equipment Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park and extending his streak of final round appearances to a personal best seven straight.

Although he admitted he wasn’t fully on his game as a driver, Torrence still managed to get his Capco Contractors Top Fuel dragster into the winners’ circle for the 12th time in the last 18 Mello Yello tour events and for the sixth time this season.

The 36-year-old Texan beat Ohio native Pat Dakin in a final round that was closer than anyone expected. Torrence won in 3.832 seconds at 323.27 miles per hour. Dakin, making his first NHRA final round appearance since losing to Shirley Muldowney at Montreal, Canada, in 1977, trailed in 3.909 seconds.

It was Torrence’s 33rd victory since turning pro, moving him to within one win of tying...

Torrence Gives as Good as He Gets
MELLO YELLO CHAMP A WINNER OF 24 OF LAST 55 RACES

NORWALK, Ohio – Three years ago, on the eve of the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals, Steve Torrence suffered a heart attack that forced him to withdraw from the event.
It was the worst thing that could have happened, not to him, perhaps, because it was only a minor episode from which he quickly recovered, but certainly to those against whom he was competing for the Mello Yello championship.
Reminded of the tentativeness of the human condition, a reality to which he first was introduced during his battle with Hodgkins lymphoma, the 36-year-old Texan resolved to live every day as if it was his last.
The laser focus that grew out of that epiphany paved the way to a third place finish in 2016. A year later, he won eight of 24 races including the Summit Nationals and moved up to second and a year ago, he won it all as the first driver in any category to sweep the six races in the NHRA’s...

TORRENCE AMONG ESPY FINALISTS
NHRA Champion Vies for Best Driver Award with Hamilton, Busch, Dixon

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Steve Torrence, who made drag racing history last year when he swept the six races comprising the NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship, is among four finalists for the Best Driver award to be presented Wednesday, July 10, during the 27th annual ESPY Awards at the Microsoft Theater.

The 36-year-old Texan will be in select company. The other nominees are 2017 Best Driver ESPY winner Lewis Hamilton from Formula 1, 2016 Best Driver ESPY recipient Kyle Busch from NASCAR and five-time ESPY nominee Scott Dixon from IndyCar.

“I am honored to represent the NHRA and drag racing as a Best Driver ESPY nominee,” Torrence said, “especially since I’m in such select company with Formula 1, Indy Car and NASCAR drivers. It’s just a testament to the dedication and hard work of the Capco boys who put a great car under me every week.”

Torrence, who as a teenager...

NHRA® Team Report
Summit Racing Equipment NHRA® Nationals - Norwalk
Pre-Race Report

Cruz Pedregon and team are moving into this weekend’s race in Norwalk with the Snap-on Dodge® motor looking brand new and the final modifications completed on a scuffing issue. “We're seeing incremental improvement each week, so we're expecting clean, aggressive runs in Ohio," says Cruz. "I have the best team and sponsors in my corner and one of the best cars on the track. We’re ready to go.”

After a couple of challenging runs in Bristol, Cruz's experience paid off, and he's focused on the critical points needed in the weekend ahead. With seven races to go until the Countdown to the Championship, Cruz is hungry for the qualifying points needed to break into the top ten rankings. With 424 points currently placing him in 11th, he’s got his eye on the prize this weekend in Norwalk.

“I’m always ready to take on the next challenge,” says Cruz. “I’ve been...

TORRENCE STREAK ENDS AT FIVE
World Champ Falls to Salinas in Thunder Valley Nationals Final

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Steve Torrence lost his bid for another piece of drag racing history Sunday but still managed to extend his point lead as Top Fuel runner-up in the 19th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

The reigning World Champion, who swept the six races comprising last year’s Countdown to the Championship, was trying to become the first driver in NHRA Top Fuel history to win as many as six consecutive races more than once.

Unfortunately, he came up .017 of a second short against Mike Salinas when his 10,000 horsepower Capco Contractors dragster slowed dramatically right before the finish in the troublesome right hand lane.

Salinas won in 3.836 seconds at a finish line speed of 325.69 miles per hour. Torrence, who forged a .039 of a second advantage at the start, trailed in 3.892 seconds at only 287.60 mph. The result evened the final round record...

MELLO YELLO CHAMP HOPES TO WIN THIS ONE FOR DAD

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Last week, Steve Torrence won a race against his dad. This week, he tries to win one for him on a Father’s Day weekend on which the elder Torrence is managing the family business while his son is racing solo in the 19th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

“This is a family team supported by a family business,” Torrence said in acknowledging the support of Capco Contractors, Inc., the pipeline construction and maintenance business founded by his dad in 1995. “My dad races when he can, but this is a busy time of year for pipeliners.”

In fact, Torrence will fly home as quickly as possible Sunday to address his own responsibilities at the Henderson, Texas-based business at which he spends his weekdays bidding jobs and entertaining clients.

“We don’t make money drag racing,” Torrence said. “We do it because we love it and I think that’s what this sport was built on. What it’s all about is...

TORRENCE BEATS HIS DAD FOR TITLE!
Reigning Mello Yello Champ Extends Winning Streak to Five Straight

TOPEKA, Kansas – How ‘bout them Capco boys! In one of the most dominating team performances in NHRA Top Fuel drag racing history, Steve Torrence beat his dad Billy in a final round duel between the No. 1 and No. 2 qualifiers Sunday and won the 31st annual Menard’s Heartland Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park.

It was the fifth straight win for the reigning Mello Yello Champion who now has celebrated victories at 11 of the last 16 pro tour events dating back to the fall of 2018 when he swept the six races comprising the NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship.

It was just the second father-son Top Fuel final in NHRA history and it could not have been more fiercely contested before the younger Torrence got his white-on-black Capco Contractors dragster to the finish line .008 of a second ahead of his dad’s black-on-white entry.

“It’s something that probably will stand out (in...