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TORRENCE MOVES A STEP CLOSER TO TITLE
Four-Time World Champ Leads the Way into Season-Ending In-N-Out Finals
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Despite a narrow semifinal loss in Sunday’s 23rd annual NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, four-time World Champion Steve Torrence managed to drive his CAPCO Contractors Top Fuel Toyota back into the Camping World point lead with just one race remaining in the Countdown to the Championship.
Team CAPCO Competition Capsule
From the 38th annual Texas Fall Nationals at Dallas, Texas
STEVE TORRENCE
Qualifying position/performance: No. 2 at 3.683 seconds, 335.07 miles per hour.
Qualifying bonus points: Five, three for quick time in Q3, two for second quick time in Q4.
Race finish: Semifinalist
Current points position: First
Race detail: Beat Clay Millican, 3.694 seconds, 332.51 mph, to 3.705, 331.12 mph; Brittany Force, 3.674, 330.72 mph, to 3.785, 311.85 mph; lost to Justin Ashley, 3.680, 331.77 mph to 3.730, 328.46 mph.
From the 38th annual Texas Fall Nationals at Dallas, Texas
STEVE TORRENCE
Qualifying position/performance: No. 2 at 3.683 seconds, 335.07 miles per hour.
Qualifying bonus points: Five, three for quick time in Q3, two for second quick time in Q4.
Race finish: Semifinalist
Current points position: First
Race detail: Beat Clay Millican, 3.694 seconds, 332.51 mph, to 3.705, 331.12 mph; Brittany Force, 3.674, 330.72 mph, to 3.785, 311.85 mph; lost to Justin Ashley, 3.680, 331.77 mph to 3.730, 328.46 mph.
When qualifying begins Nov. 10 in the 58th In-N-Out Burger Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in California, the 40-year-old Texan will lead Doug Kalitta by 15 points, Leah Pruett by 34, Sunday winner Mike Salinas by 76 and regular season champ Justin Ashley by 82 in an event that awards one-and-a-half times as many points as any other in the Countdown.
The No. 2 qualifier at 3.683 seconds, Torrence took out Clay Millican in the first round and stopped reigning series champion Brittany Force in the second before dropping a narrow .011 of a second decision to Ashley in the semifinals as the latter’s .036 reaction time proved to be too much to overcome.
The semifinal loss brought an end to the 54-time tour winner’s streak of having won at least one tour event in seven straight Octobers. Three of those victories came in the Las Vegas Nationals.
Torrence and his CAPCO teammates now will turn their attention to the In-N-Out Finals, an event they have won two times in their last four starts and for which they have qualified their hot rod Toyota either first or second four straight times.
“Good to be back in the points lead,” Torrence said. “We’re going to the Finals with a fast hot rod but this thing obviously is going down to the wire. I’m just lucky to have these bad-to-the-bone CAPCO boys watching my back.”
23rd annual NHRA Nevada Nationals
FINAL ROUND RESULTS
Top Fuel – Mike Salinas, Valley Services/Scrappers dragster, 3.673, 333.15 mph, def. Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect dragster, 5.796, 120.56 mph.
Funny Car – Robert Hight, Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevy Camaro, 3.851, 326.79 mph, def. Bob Tasca III, 4.235, 268.28 mph.
Pro Stock – Erica Enders, Melling Performance Chevy Camaro, 6.557, 208.23 mph, def. Greg Anderson, HendrickCars.com Chevy Camaro, 23.892, 36.48 mph.
NHRA CAMPING WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
TOP FUEL
(After five of six races in the Countdown to the Championship)
1. Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, CAPCO Contractors dragster 2483
2. Doug Kalitta, Saline, Mich., MAC Tools dragster 2468
3. Leah Pruett, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Dodge Direct Connection dragster 2449
4. Mike Salinas, San Jose, Calif., Valley Services/Scrappers Racing dragster 2407
5. Justin Ashley, Farmingdale, N.Y., Phillips Connect dragster 2401
6. Antron Brown, Pittsboro, Ind., Matco Tools dragster 2337
7. Brittany Force, Aberdeen, N.C., Flav-R-Pac/ Monster Energy dragster 2303
8. Austin Prock, Pittsboro, Ind., Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster 2256
9. Tony Schumacher, Lakeway, Texas, SCAG Power Equipment dragster 2248
10. Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster 2227
12. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers dragster 2201
12. Shawn Langdon, Danville, Ind., Kalitta Air Careers dragster 2199
Next Scheduled CAMPING WORLD TOUR Event:
58th In-N-Out Finals
Nov. 10-12, 2023
In-N-Out Raceway
Pomona, Calif.
FINAL ROUND RESULTS
Top Fuel – Mike Salinas, Valley Services/Scrappers dragster, 3.673, 333.15 mph, def. Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect dragster, 5.796, 120.56 mph.
Funny Car – Robert Hight, Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevy Camaro, 3.851, 326.79 mph, def. Bob Tasca III, 4.235, 268.28 mph.
Pro Stock – Erica Enders, Melling Performance Chevy Camaro, 6.557, 208.23 mph, def. Greg Anderson, HendrickCars.com Chevy Camaro, 23.892, 36.48 mph.
NHRA CAMPING WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
TOP FUEL
(After five of six races in the Countdown to the Championship)
1. Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, CAPCO Contractors dragster 2483
2. Doug Kalitta, Saline, Mich., MAC Tools dragster 2468
3. Leah Pruett, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Dodge Direct Connection dragster 2449
4. Mike Salinas, San Jose, Calif., Valley Services/Scrappers Racing dragster 2407
5. Justin Ashley, Farmingdale, N.Y., Phillips Connect dragster 2401
6. Antron Brown, Pittsboro, Ind., Matco Tools dragster 2337
7. Brittany Force, Aberdeen, N.C., Flav-R-Pac/ Monster Energy dragster 2303
8. Austin Prock, Pittsboro, Ind., Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster 2256
9. Tony Schumacher, Lakeway, Texas, SCAG Power Equipment dragster 2248
10. Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster 2227
12. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers dragster 2201
12. Shawn Langdon, Danville, Ind., Kalitta Air Careers dragster 2199
Next Scheduled CAMPING WORLD TOUR Event:
58th In-N-Out Finals
Nov. 10-12, 2023
In-N-Out Raceway
Pomona, Calif.
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 of them 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.
