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TORRENCE LOSES CHAMPIONS’ BATTLE
Texan Falls to Langdon by .021 in Texas Fall Nationals Heartbreaker
DALLAS, Texas – By a scant .021 of a second, former Top Fuel world champion Shawn Langdon beat reigning Top Fuel champ Steve Torrence in Sunday’s 37th annual Texas Fall Nationals, dealing a blow to the talented Texan’s bid for an historic fifth straight NHRA title at the wheel of his Capco Contractors dragster.
Langdon grabbed an .052-.068 of a second lead at the start of the critical first round showdown and never gave it up, denying Torrence on the same Texas Motorplex concrete on which he had reached the final round five of the last seven years.
FINAL ROUND RESULTS
Top Fuel – Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect/Vita C dragster, 3.688 seconds, 329.24 mph, def. Austin Prock, Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster, 12.682, 48.46 mph.
Funny Car – Ron Capps, NAPA Toyota Supra, 3.911 seconds, 327.18 mph, def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Power Brokers Charger, 3.923, 331.32 mph.
Pro Stock – Erica Enders, Melling Performance Chevy Camaro, 6.537 seconds, 209.63 mph, def. Greg Anderson, HendrickCars.com Chevy Camaro, 6.547, 208.74 mph.
Photos by Mark Rebilas
Steve Torrence deploys the parachutes on the Capco Contractors Top Fuel Toyota Sunday after losing a narrow first round decision to Shawn Langdon at the 37th Texas Fall Nationals at Dallas.
“That was a hard one (to lose),” Torrence said. “Great job by Shawn and that team and a great job by the Capco boys. We just wound up on the wrong end of it at a bad time, especially with Justin (Ashley) winning the race.Top Fuel – Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect/Vita C dragster, 3.688 seconds, 329.24 mph, def. Austin Prock, Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster, 12.682, 48.46 mph.
Funny Car – Ron Capps, NAPA Toyota Supra, 3.911 seconds, 327.18 mph, def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Power Brokers Charger, 3.923, 331.32 mph.
Pro Stock – Erica Enders, Melling Performance Chevy Camaro, 6.537 seconds, 209.63 mph, def. Greg Anderson, HendrickCars.com Chevy Camaro, 6.547, 208.74 mph.
Photos by Mark Rebilas
Steve Torrence deploys the parachutes on the Capco Contractors Top Fuel Toyota Sunday after losing a narrow first round decision to Shawn Langdon at the 37th Texas Fall Nationals at Dallas.
“All we can do is go to Las Vegas (site Oct. 28-30 of the next-to-last event in the NHRA’s Countdown) and try to fight our way back into it.”
Coming on the heels of a bounceback victory two weeks ago at St. Louis, Sunday’s result dropped Torrence from second to fourth in points, 98 behind Ashley.
“The only good thing is that the last race (the Auto Club Finals at Pomona, Calif.) is for points-and-half,” Torrence said, “so that really gives us two-and-a-half races to make it up instead of just two. It’ll come down to how much ground we can make up at Las Vegas.”
Four-time reigning NHRA Top Fuel Champion Steve Torrence watched Sunday as Justin Ashley padded his point lead with a win in the Texas Fall Nationals at Dallas. Torrence will take his Capco Contractors dragster to Las Vegas Oct. 28-30 trailing Ashley by 98 points in his bid to win a fifth straight title.
However, the path to joining John Force, Tony Schumacher and Bob Glidden as one of the only pro drivers to have won as many as five successive titles is considerably more difficult because of the Dallas result.
Now, the 53-time tour winner not only has to catch the point leader but also former champions Brittany Force and Antron Brown, who both moved around him on Sunday, into the No. 2 and No. 3 positions, respectively.
“I didn’t say it was going to be easy,” Torrence admitted, “but you can never count these guys out. They are the best there is. I wouldn’t want to face this challenge with any other crew out there.”
NHRA CAMPING WORLD TOUR Championship Points
TOP FUEL (After the fourth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship)
1. Justin Ashley, Farmingdale, N.Y., Phillips Connect/Vita C dragster 2424
2. Brittany Force, Aberdeen, N.C., Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac dragster 2340
3. Antron Brown, Pittsboro, Ind., Matco Tools dragster 2336
4. Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, Capco Contractors dragster 2326
5. Mike Salinas, San Martin, Calif., Pep Boys/Scrappers Racing dragster 2304
6. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers/Technet dragster 2275
7. Austin Prock, Pittsboro, Ind., Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster 2262
8. Doug Kalitta, Saline, Mich., Kalitta Air/Toyota dragster 2251
9. Shawn Langdon, Danville, Ind., CMR Roofing/Toyota dragster 2234
10. Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster 2218
11. Leah Pruett, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Dodge Power Brokers dragster 2179
12. Tony Schumacher, Lakeway, Texas, SCAG/Okuma dragster 2149
CAPCO CONTRACTORS race summary
37th NHRA Texas Fall Nationals
Qualifying – Steve Torrence, No. 6 at 3.700 seconds, 330.01 miles per hour
Qualifying bonus points – 1 for third quick time in Q1.
Round 1 – S. Torrence, 3.735, 327.53 mph, lost to Shawn Langdon, 3.730, 322.79 mph.
Next Scheduled CAMPING WORLD TOUR Event:
22nd annual Dodge Power Brokers Nationals
Oct. 28-30, 2022
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas, Nev.
TOP FUEL (After the fourth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship)
1. Justin Ashley, Farmingdale, N.Y., Phillips Connect/Vita C dragster 2424
2. Brittany Force, Aberdeen, N.C., Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac dragster 2340
3. Antron Brown, Pittsboro, Ind., Matco Tools dragster 2336
4. Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, Capco Contractors dragster 2326
5. Mike Salinas, San Martin, Calif., Pep Boys/Scrappers Racing dragster 2304
6. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers/Technet dragster 2275
7. Austin Prock, Pittsboro, Ind., Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster 2262
8. Doug Kalitta, Saline, Mich., Kalitta Air/Toyota dragster 2251
9. Shawn Langdon, Danville, Ind., CMR Roofing/Toyota dragster 2234
10. Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster 2218
11. Leah Pruett, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Dodge Power Brokers dragster 2179
12. Tony Schumacher, Lakeway, Texas, SCAG/Okuma dragster 2149
CAPCO CONTRACTORS race summary
37th NHRA Texas Fall Nationals
Qualifying – Steve Torrence, No. 6 at 3.700 seconds, 330.01 miles per hour
Qualifying bonus points – 1 for third quick time in Q1.
Round 1 – S. Torrence, 3.735, 327.53 mph, lost to Shawn Langdon, 3.730, 322.79 mph.
Next Scheduled CAMPING WORLD TOUR Event:
22nd annual Dodge Power Brokers Nationals
Oct. 28-30, 2022
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas, Nev.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships. Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
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.
