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DALLAS, Texas – Citing his desire to support the Texas Motorplex and its expanding Stampede of Speed motorsports festival, Billy Torrence returns to the cockpit of the second CAPCO Contractors Top Fuel Toyota Friday when he makes the first of four qualifying runs in advance of the 38th annual Texas Fall Nationals.
BILLY TORRENCE at the Texas Fall Nationals
Total appearances:7
Final rounds: 2
Victories: 1 (2019)
No. 1 qualifier: 0
Won-Lost record: 9-6
Noteworthy: After beating Jordan Vandergriff to win at the Motorplex in 2019, Billy returned a year later and lost to son Steve in an all-CAPCO final round.
Quickest time: 3.711 seconds, Oct. 18, 2020
Fastest speed: 330.47 mph, Oct. 19, 2020.
Track records – 3.637 seconds by Brittany Force, Oct. 8, 2021; 336.30 mph by Brittany Force, Oct. 16, 2022.
Founder and CEO of CAPCO, an international oil-and-gas pipeline construction and maintenance business, the 65-year-old Texan won the Fall Nationals in 2019.
A year later, he lost in the final round to son Steve, the four-time NHRA World Champion.
An eight-time Top Fuel winner, the elder Torrence also has won multiple national events in the Super Comp category in which both he and Steve initially developed their driving skills.
“It’s always fun racing with Steve, especially at the Motorplex,” he said. “It’s been a little while, but it’s good to be back.”
Billy last drove a Top Fuel car in NHRA competition on Sept. 25, 2022 at Charlotte, N.C., where he lost to his son in the first round of the NHRA Carolina Nationals. He has made 79 career appearances over eight seasons, compiling an impressive 101-79 individual record while never failing to qualify for an event in which he has participated.
His last tour win came in 2021 when he beat two-time reigning Texas Fall Nationals champion Justin Ashley in the final round of what now is the Pep Boys Nationals at Reading, Pa.
Although he never has raced an entire season in Top Fuel, Billy was fifth in Camping World points in 2019 and 2021 and a career best third in 2020.
Qualifying for the Texas Fall Nationals begins Friday with two nitro sessions, one at 5 p.m., Texas time, and a second at 8 p.m., Texas time. Two more sessions, one at 2 p.m. and the other at 5 p.m., Texas time, on Saturday will set the lineups for single elimination finals beginning Sunday at 12 noon.
Looking Back
Billy Torrence at the Texas Fall Nationals
Year Qualifying Position/Racing Result
2013 Dallas 8. Lost to Bob Vandergriff Jr.
2014 Dallas 7. Lost to Larry Dixon
2015 Dallas 2. Beat Kebin Kinsley; lost to Antron Brown
2018 Dallas 10. Lost to Blake Alexander
2019 Dallas 5. Beat Terry McMillen, Shawn Reed, Brittany Force and Jordan Vandergriff
2020 Dallas 9. Beat Clay Millican, Tony Schumacher, Doug Kalitta; lost to Steve Torrence
2021 Dallas 5. Beat Alex Laughlin; lost to Justin Ashley.
Billy Torrence at the Texas Fall Nationals
Year Qualifying Position/Racing Result
2013 Dallas 8. Lost to Bob Vandergriff Jr.
2014 Dallas 7. Lost to Larry Dixon
2015 Dallas 2. Beat Kebin Kinsley; lost to Antron Brown
2018 Dallas 10. Lost to Blake Alexander
2019 Dallas 5. Beat Terry McMillen, Shawn Reed, Brittany Force and Jordan Vandergriff
2020 Dallas 9. Beat Clay Millican, Tony Schumacher, Doug Kalitta; lost to Steve Torrence
2021 Dallas 5. Beat Alex Laughlin; lost to Justin Ashley.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands, and directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America (more than 49,000 in the U.S.). Over the past 65 years, Toyota has assembled nearly 45 million cars and trucks in North America at the company’s 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, the company’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.
Through our more than 1,800 North American dealerships (including nearly 1,500 in the U.S.), Toyota sold more than 2.4 million cars and trucks (more than 2.1 million in the U.S.) in 2022, of which, nearly one quarter were electrified vehicles (full battery, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell).
About CAPCO Contractors Inc.
Capco Contractors, Inc. is a family owned-and-operated construction company specializing in the oil and gas industries. A proud American company based in Texas with clients around the world, Capco was founded in 1995 by Billy Torrence and initially operated from a small office and one job-site trailer with a staff of only 12 employees. From those humble beginnings, Capco Contactors, Inc. has developed into a full-service pipeline company, capable of all aspects of pipeline work including site work, creation of compressor stations, mainline pipeline construction and pipeline integrity projects. It employs more than 200 people with main offices in Henderson, Texas.
