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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TORRENCE EYES GATORNATIONALS REPEAT
World Champ Defends Title as Event Returns to Traditional March Date
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Even though he won last year’s race in spectacular fashion, ultimately celebrating in the winners’ circle with Florida drag racing legend “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, three-time reigning Top Fuel World Champion Steve Torrence will address a bit of unfinished business this week when he competes in the 52nd annual Amalie NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.
Last year, driving a 330 mile-an-hour hybrid modeled after “Swamp Rat 14,” the Garlits-designed rear engine dragster that transformed Top Fuel racing during the 1971 season, Torrence beat Tony Schumacher, Doug Foley, Leah Pruett and, finally, dad and Capco Contractors’ teammate Billy Torrence to end 10 years of abject frustration in Florida’s biggest drag race.
All that’s left now is to finally win it on its traditional date.
Since NHRA officials were compelled to move last year’s race from the spring to the fall because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Torrence remains winless during his entire pro career in the month of March.
That’s significant because, other than December and January, the only months in which the NHRA does not contest events in its national series, March is the only month in which the man who has dominated the tour the last four years has not yet hoisted one of the iconic “Wally” trophies presented to winners in the Camping World series.
A 40-time tour winner who has 24 victories in the last three seasons alone, Torrence is hoping the magic his team enjoyed last year with its “Big Daddy” tribute car, a project initiated by crew chief Richard Hogan, will carry over into this weekend.
“I never had won at Gainesville before, never even been to a final,” Torrence said of last year’s breakthrough, “but racing ‘Big Daddy’s’ car we had magic and we finally got a win.
“There’s a history with Hogan and ‘Big,’ so we thought it would be something really cool,” he said of the Garlits’ tribute car. “‘Hoagie’ worked for Garlits for a long time and, before that, his dad (Charlie ‘the King’ Hogan) was one of ‘Big Daddy’s’ biggest rivals.”
Looking Back
Steve Torrence at Gainesville Raceway
Year Qualifying Position/Racing Result
2010 Gatornationals 8. Beat Morgan Lucas; lost to Antron Brown
2011 Gatornationals 5. Beat Morgan Lucas; lost to Larry Dixon
2012 Gatornationals 6. Lost to Bob Vandergriff Jr.
2013 Gatornationals 10. Beat Morgan Lucas; lost to Antron Brown
2014 Gatornationals 8. Beat Khalid alBalooshi, J.R. Todd; lost to Doug Kalitta
2015 Gatornationals 9. Lost to Richie Crampton
2016 Gatornationals 7. Lost to J.R. Todd
2017 Gatornationals 5. Beat Shawn Reed, Brittany Force; lost to Tony Schumacher
2018 Gatornationals 2. Lost to Mike Salinas
2019 Gatornationals 3. Beat Dom Lagana; lost to Doug Kalitta
2020 Gatornationals 4. Beat Tony Schumacher, Doug Foley, Leah Pruett and Billy Torrence
Quickest time: 3.680, March 17, 2019
Fastest speed: 329.91 mph, March 17, 2019
Track records: 3.680 seconds by Brittany Force, March 15, 2019; 331.28 mph by Clay Millican, March 18, 2018.
* * * *
NHRA Camping World Championship Points
TOP FUEL (2020 FINAL)
1. Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, Capco Contractors dragster 1015
2. Doug Kalitta, Saline, Mich., Mac Tools dragster 822
3. Billy Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, Capco Contractors dragster 798
4. Leah Pruett, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Dodge SRT dragster 754
5. Antron Brown, Pittsboro, Ind., Matco Tools dragster 709
6. Shawn Langdon, Danville, Ind., Global Electronic Technology dragster 595
7. Justin Ashley, Plainview, N.Y., Strutmasters dragster 594
8. Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster 493
9. Tony Schumacher, Austin, Texas, Okuma/Sandvik dragster 464
10. Terry McMillen, Elkhart, Ind., Amalie Intimigator dragster 436
Looking Ahead
2021 NHRA Camping World Tour
4-11 Lucas Oil Winternationals Pomona, CA
4-18 DENSO Four-Wide Nationals Las Vegas, NV
4-02 NHRA Southern Nationals Atlanta, GA
4-16 NGK 4Wide Nationals Charlotte, NC
4-23 Mopar Express Lane Spring Nationals Houston, TX
6-06 NHRA Virginia Nationals Richmond, Va.
6-13 NHRA New England Nationals Epping, NH
6-27 Summit Equipment Nationals Norwalk, OH
7-18 Dodge Mile-High Nationals Denver, CO
7-25 NHRA Sonoma Nationals Sonoma, CA
8-01 FLAV-R-PAC Northwest Nationals Seattle, WA
8-15 Menard’s Nationals Topeka, KS
8-22 Lucas Oil Nationals Brainerd, MN
9-05 Dodge SRT U.S. Nationals Indianapolis, IN
-www.torrenceracing.com-
TORRENCE EYES GATORNATIONALS REPEAT
World Champ Defends Title as Event Returns to Traditional March Date
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Even though he won last year’s race in spectacular fashion, ultimately celebrating in the winners’ circle with Florida drag racing legend “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, three-time reigning Top Fuel World Champion Steve Torrence will address a bit of unfinished business this week when he competes in the 52nd annual Amalie NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.
Last year, driving a 330 mile-an-hour hybrid modeled after “Swamp Rat 14,” the Garlits-designed rear engine dragster that transformed Top Fuel racing during the 1971 season, Torrence beat Tony Schumacher, Doug Foley, Leah Pruett and, finally, dad and Capco Contractors’ teammate Billy Torrence to end 10 years of abject frustration in Florida’s biggest drag race.
All that’s left now is to finally win it on its traditional date.
Since NHRA officials were compelled to move last year’s race from the spring to the fall because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Torrence remains winless during his entire pro career in the month of March.
That’s significant because, other than December and January, the only months in which the NHRA does not contest events in its national series, March is the only month in which the man who has dominated the tour the last four years has not yet hoisted one of the iconic “Wally” trophies presented to winners in the Camping World series.
A 40-time tour winner who has 24 victories in the last three seasons alone, Torrence is hoping the magic his team enjoyed last year with its “Big Daddy” tribute car, a project initiated by crew chief Richard Hogan, will carry over into this weekend.
“I never had won at Gainesville before, never even been to a final,” Torrence said of last year’s breakthrough, “but racing ‘Big Daddy’s’ car we had magic and we finally got a win.
“There’s a history with Hogan and ‘Big,’ so we thought it would be something really cool,” he said of the Garlits’ tribute car. “‘Hoagie’ worked for Garlits for a long time and, before that, his dad (Charlie ‘the King’ Hogan) was one of ‘Big Daddy’s’ biggest rivals.”
Looking Back
Steve Torrence at Gainesville Raceway
Year Qualifying Position/Racing Result
2010 Gatornationals 8. Beat Morgan Lucas; lost to Antron Brown
2011 Gatornationals 5. Beat Morgan Lucas; lost to Larry Dixon
2012 Gatornationals 6. Lost to Bob Vandergriff Jr.
2013 Gatornationals 10. Beat Morgan Lucas; lost to Antron Brown
2014 Gatornationals 8. Beat Khalid alBalooshi, J.R. Todd; lost to Doug Kalitta
2015 Gatornationals 9. Lost to Richie Crampton
2016 Gatornationals 7. Lost to J.R. Todd
2017 Gatornationals 5. Beat Shawn Reed, Brittany Force; lost to Tony Schumacher
2018 Gatornationals 2. Lost to Mike Salinas
2019 Gatornationals 3. Beat Dom Lagana; lost to Doug Kalitta
2020 Gatornationals 4. Beat Tony Schumacher, Doug Foley, Leah Pruett and Billy Torrence
Quickest time: 3.680, March 17, 2019
Fastest speed: 329.91 mph, March 17, 2019
Track records: 3.680 seconds by Brittany Force, March 15, 2019; 331.28 mph by Clay Millican, March 18, 2018.
* * * *
NHRA Camping World Championship Points
TOP FUEL (2020 FINAL)
1. Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, Capco Contractors dragster 1015
2. Doug Kalitta, Saline, Mich., Mac Tools dragster 822
3. Billy Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, Capco Contractors dragster 798
4. Leah Pruett, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Dodge SRT dragster 754
5. Antron Brown, Pittsboro, Ind., Matco Tools dragster 709
6. Shawn Langdon, Danville, Ind., Global Electronic Technology dragster 595
7. Justin Ashley, Plainview, N.Y., Strutmasters dragster 594
8. Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster 493
9. Tony Schumacher, Austin, Texas, Okuma/Sandvik dragster 464
10. Terry McMillen, Elkhart, Ind., Amalie Intimigator dragster 436
Looking Ahead
2021 NHRA Camping World Tour
4-11 Lucas Oil Winternationals Pomona, CA
4-18 DENSO Four-Wide Nationals Las Vegas, NV
4-02 NHRA Southern Nationals Atlanta, GA
4-16 NGK 4Wide Nationals Charlotte, NC
4-23 Mopar Express Lane Spring Nationals Houston, TX
6-06 NHRA Virginia Nationals Richmond, Va.
6-13 NHRA New England Nationals Epping, NH
6-27 Summit Equipment Nationals Norwalk, OH
7-18 Dodge Mile-High Nationals Denver, CO
7-25 NHRA Sonoma Nationals Sonoma, CA
8-01 FLAV-R-PAC Northwest Nationals Seattle, WA
8-15 Menard’s Nationals Topeka, KS
8-22 Lucas Oil Nationals Brainerd, MN
9-05 Dodge SRT U.S. Nationals Indianapolis, IN
-www.torrenceracing.com-
