MOTIVATION NO PROBLEM FOR TORRENCE (1 Viewer)

Regular Season Champ Won’t Change Focus or Routine at U.S. Nationals​

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Steve Torrence’s points lead is so big entering this week’s 67th annual Dodge SRT U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway that the three-time reigning series champ could take a seat in the Top Eliminator Club for the weekend, load up on funnel cakes and some of the other trackside delicacies, never once strap into the cockpit of his Capco Contractors Top Fuel dragster and still win the Camping World tour’s regular season championship by a train length.

Steve Torrence’s Capco Contractors Top Fuel dragster has won seven times in 12 starts this season. Torrence will try to make it eight at this week’s U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, a race he last won in 2017.

Photos by Mark Rebilas
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Nevertheless, to the dismay of his long-suffering rivals, the 38-year-old Texan has no plans to alter his normal routine no matter the event nor the circumstances.
“We try to win every race,” he said, “and it’s a strategy that seems to have worked out okay. We don’t hold back anything for the playoffs. Pretty much what you see every week is what you’re gonna get. I’m very blessed to be racing at a very high level with my family and some of my best friends in a sport full of great people.
“We race for fun,” Torrence insisted. “We have goals and when you can achieve those goals as a team, there’s nothing better than that. it’s still fun out here. We work hard but when the work’s over, we play pretty hard, too.”
Drag racing’s dominant driver the last five seasons, Torrence comes into the final race before the start of the Countdown leading Brittany Force by 383 points. Even if Force or someone else collected every available point in an event that rewards drivers at one-and-a-half times the normal rate, the total would amount to only 202 points.

Steve Torrence hoists the trophy after winning the NHRA tour event at Brainerd, Minn., two weeks ago. The Capco Contractors driver is the favorite at this week’s 67th annual U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis.

Photos by Mark Rebilas​

The upshot is that Torrence and Team Capco will be favored once again in a field that will include the champ’s dad, Billy, who returns to the cockpit of the second Capco dragster after sitting out four of the last five events
“This is Indy,” Torrence said, “and if you can’t get up for this race, you’re probably in the wrong sport. Winning here in 2017 with these guys was awesome. For a drag racer, there’s no better feeling than winning Indy except, maybe, winning it again.”
That said, the former Top Alcohol Dragster world champ (2005) does have an additional incentive or two. For one thing, he’s chasing 50 pro tour victories, gobbling up his 47th title two weeks ago at Brainerd, Minn., the only venue in the series at which he had not previously celebrated at least one win. Moreover, he wants to carry momentum into the Countdown as he tries to become just the seventh driver to win four consecutive pro titles (after Don Prudhomme, Bob Glidden, Lee Shepherd, Kenny Bernstein, John Force and Tony ).

Bobby Lagana Jr., left, and Richard Holcomb, have guided Steve Torrence and his Capco Contractors dragster to seven Top Fuel victories this season. They try to make it eight this week at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

Photos by Mark Rebilas
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Winner of seven of the 12 races contested thus far in the current campaign, Torrence has been typically consistent in a car prepared by Richard Hogan, Bobby Lagana Jr. and the most efficient crew in the sport. He has not started a race from further back than the No. 4 spot and he is the only driver to have earned at least one qualifying bonus point in advance of every race.
Indy qualifying will consist of one run at 6:30 p.m., Texas time, Friday followed by sessions at 1 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. Saturday. Sunday eliminations will begin at 9 a.m., Texas time, with television coverage on FOX broadcast network from 12 noon until 3 p.m., Texas time.

Looking Back
Steve Torrence at Lucas Oil Raceway
Year Qualifying Position/Racing Result

U.S. NATIONALS
2008 Indianapolis 14. Lost to Hillary Will
2010 Indianapolis 8. Beat Rod Fuller; lost to Larry Dixon
2012 Indianapolis 11. Lost to J.R. Todd
2013 Indianapolis 3. Beat Tommy Johnson, Billy Torrence, Khalid alBalooshi; lost to Shawn Langdon
2014 Indianapolis 2. Beat J.R. Todd, Larry Dixon, Khalid alBalooshi; lost to Richie Crampton
2015 Indianapolis 3. Lost to Richie Crampton
2016 Indianapolis 2. Beat Bruce Litton, Shawn Langdon, Doug Kalitta; lost to Tony Schumacher
2017 Indianapolis 3. Beat Ashley Sanford, Antron Brown, Leah Pritchett and Kebin Kinsley
2018 Indianapolis 5. Beat Pat Dakin; lost to Terry McMillen
2019 Indianapolis 3. Beat Terry McMillen; lost to Antron Brown
2020 Indianapolis 2. Beat Kyle Wurtzel, Antron Brown; lost to Leah Pruett

Steve’s quickest time: 3.656 seconds, Aug. 31, 2019
Steve’s fastest speed: 331.12 mph, Aug. 31, 2019
Track records – 3.645 seconds by Brittany Force, Aug. 31, 2019; 333.33 mph by Billy Torrence, Aug. 31, 2019

E3 SPARK PLUG NATIONALS
2020 1. Beat Luigi Novelli, Shawn Langdon; lost to Billy Torrence

LUCAS OIL SUMMERNATIONALS
2020 7. Lost to Billy Torrence
DODGE INDY NATIONALS
2020 2. Beat Luigi Novelli, Justin Ashley, Leah Pruett and Terry McMillen

Steve Torrence this season
Date and Location Qualifying position and results
March 14 at Gainesville, FL 1. Beat Joe Morrison; lost to Josh Hart.
April 18 at Las Vegas, NV 2. WINNER over Doug Kalitta (Clay Millican and Antron Brown)
May 2 at Atlanta, GA 2. Beat Buddy Hull, Justin Ashley, Shawn Langdon; lost to Antron Brown
May 16 at Charlotte, NC 2. WINNER over Brittany Force (Antron Brown and Josh Hart)
May 23 at Houston, TX 1. Beat Mitch King, bye, beat Clay Millican and Doug Kalitta.
June 13 at Epping, N.H. 4. Beat Clay Millican, Leah Pruett; lost to Mike Salinas
June 27 at Norwalk, OH 1. Beat Shawn Langdon, Leah Pruett, Austin Prock and Brittany Force
July 18 at Denver, CO 2. Beat Rob Passey, bye, Mike Salinas and Joey Haas.
July 25 at Sonoma, CA 2. Beat Cameron Ferre, Doug Kalitta, Antron Brown and Leah Pruett
Aug. 1 at Pomona, CA 4. Lost to Antron Brown.
Aug. 15 at Topeka, KS 4. Beat Leah Pruett, Justin Ashley; lost to Brittany Force
Aug. 22 at Brainerd, MN 2. Beat Terry Totten, Justin Ashley, bye and Clay Millican

NHRA CAMPING WORLD TOUR Championship Points
(After 12 of 13 regular season events)

TOP FUEL
*1. Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, Capco Contractors dragster 1212
2. Brittany Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., Monster Energy/FLAV-R-PAC dragster 829
3. Antron Brown, Pittsboro, Ind., Matco Tools dragster 791
4. Leah Pruett, Avon, Ind., MOPAR/Pennzoil/Okuma dragster 631
5. Mike Salinas, San Jose, Calif., Scrappers Racing dragster 631
6. Shawn Langdon, Indianapolis, Ind., DHL/Kalitta Air dragster 620
7. Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster 579
8. Justin Ashley, Plainview, N.Y., Strutmasters/GuardLab dragster 578
9. Billy Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, Capco Contractors dragster 510
10. Doug Kalitta, Ann Arbor, Mich., Mac Tools/Mobil 1 dragster 503
*Has clinched regular season championship and No. 1 seeding