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Team CAPCO Competition Capsule From the 58th In-N-Out Finals at Pomona, Calif.
STEVE TORRENCE
Qualifying position/performance: No. 2 at 3.641 seconds, 335.65 miles per hour.
Qualifying bonus points: Four for quick time in Q2.
Race finish: Semifinalist
FINAL points position: Second.
Race detail: Beat Spencer Hyde, 3.723, 333.74 mph, to 8.966, 84.45 mph; Billy Torrence, 3.731, 332.43 mph, to 4.294, 189.15 mph; lost to Leah Pruett, 3.765, 319.69 mph, to 3.717, 331.04 mph.
BILLY TORRENCE
Qualifying position/performance: No. 4 at 3.682 seconds, 336.74 miles per hour.
Qualifying bonus points: Three, one for fourth quick time in Q2; two for third quick time in Q3
Race finish: Second Round
FINAL points position: 18th
Race detail: Beat Shawn Langdon, 3.719, 332.43 mph, to 4.624, 171.97 mph; lost to Steve Torrence, 4.294, 289.15 mph, to 3.731, 332.43 mph.
POMONA, Calif. – A dropped cylinder in the semifinals ended Steve Torrence’s bid for a fifth Top Fuel World Championship Sunday at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, opening the door for veteran Doug Kalitta to win the 58th In-N-Out Finals and, in so doing, earn a breakthrough first series championship after a half dozen runner-up finishes.
Torrence finished second in his CAPCO Contractors Toyota dragster, 48 points behind Kalitta and nine ahead of Leah Pruett, who would have been champion had she been able to reverse the order of finish in the final round.
“I like Leah and that team did a great job this year,” Torrence said, “but I gotta admit that after we lost, I was rooting for Doug. He’s been out here chasing a championship for a lot of years and he’s just a good guy.
“We didn’t get the championship,” acknowledged the 54-time tour winner, “but I’m so proud of these CAPCO boys and what they were able to do this year.
Photos by Mark Rebilas
Left photo: Steve Torrence ponders what might have been after bowing out in the semifinals of the season-ending In-N-Out Finals at Pomona, Calif., and finishing second to Doug Kalitta in the battle for the championship.
Right photo: Steve Torrence drove his CAPCO Contractors Top Fuel Toyota to the semifinals in Sunday's In-N-Out Finals at Pomona, Calif., but lost the season championship to Doug Kalitta.
“We’ve made big changes to our program the last two years, but we finished the season with one bad ass race car,” Torrence said. “A little disappointed, sure, but I’m excited about next season with the Mission Foods people coming on board in a big way. Camping World. Pep Boys. The PRO Superstar Shootout. It’s all good.”
The No. 2 qualifier at 3.641 seconds, his second quickest time ever, Torrence seemed to be on cruise control after beating Canadian rookie Spencer Hyde in round one and his dad, Billy, in the quarterfinals, with times of 3.723 and 3.731 seconds, respectively.
However, against Pruett, the raw fuel indicative of a dropped cylinder began to manifest itself at about 330 feet. That little glitch was all Pruett needed to power to victory in 3.717 seconds and set up a winner-take-all final with Kalitta.
58th In-N-Out Finals FINAL ROUND RESULTS
Top Fuel – Doug Kalitta, MAC Tools dragster, 3.673, 334.98 mph, def. Leah Pruett, Dodge Direct Connection dragster, 3.720, 326.16 mph.
Funny Car – Chad Green Bond-Coat Ford Mustang, 3.916, 328.54 mph, def. Tim Wilkerson, SCAG Power Equipment Ford Mustang, 3.900, 327.59 mph.
Pro Stock – Aaron Stanfield, Janac Brothers Racing Chevy Camaro, 6.534, 208.91 mph, def. Matt Hartford, Total Seal Chevy Camaro, 6.519, 210.14 mph.
NHRA CAMPING WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
TOP FUEL
(2023 FINAL)
1. Doug Kalitta, Saline, Mich., MAC Tools dragster 2649
2. Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, CAPCO Contractors dragster 2601
3. Leah Pruett, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Dodge Direct Connection dragster 2592
4. Justin Ashley, Farmingdale, N.Y., Phillips Connect dragster 2513
5. Mike Salinas, San Jose, Calif., Valley Services/Scrappers Racing dragster 2465
6. Antron Brown, Pittsboro, Ind., Matco Tools dragster 2423
7. Brittany Force, Aberdeen, N.C., Flav-R-Pac/ Monster Energy dragster 2352
8. Austin Prock, Pittsboro, Ind., Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster 2349
9. Tony Schumacher, Lakeway, Texas, SCAG Power Equipment dragster 2297
10. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers, dragster 2280
11. Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster 2276
12. Shawn Langdon, Danville, Ind., Kalitta Air Careers dragster 2248
Next Scheduled MISSION FOODS TOUR Event:
55th annual NHRA Gatornationals
March 8-10, 2024
Gainesville Raceway
Gainesville, Fla.
Top Fuel – Doug Kalitta, MAC Tools dragster, 3.673, 334.98 mph, def. Leah Pruett, Dodge Direct Connection dragster, 3.720, 326.16 mph.
Funny Car – Chad Green Bond-Coat Ford Mustang, 3.916, 328.54 mph, def. Tim Wilkerson, SCAG Power Equipment Ford Mustang, 3.900, 327.59 mph.
Pro Stock – Aaron Stanfield, Janac Brothers Racing Chevy Camaro, 6.534, 208.91 mph, def. Matt Hartford, Total Seal Chevy Camaro, 6.519, 210.14 mph.
NHRA CAMPING WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
TOP FUEL
(2023 FINAL)
1. Doug Kalitta, Saline, Mich., MAC Tools dragster 2649
2. Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, CAPCO Contractors dragster 2601
3. Leah Pruett, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Dodge Direct Connection dragster 2592
4. Justin Ashley, Farmingdale, N.Y., Phillips Connect dragster 2513
5. Mike Salinas, San Jose, Calif., Valley Services/Scrappers Racing dragster 2465
6. Antron Brown, Pittsboro, Ind., Matco Tools dragster 2423
7. Brittany Force, Aberdeen, N.C., Flav-R-Pac/ Monster Energy dragster 2352
8. Austin Prock, Pittsboro, Ind., Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster 2349
9. Tony Schumacher, Lakeway, Texas, SCAG Power Equipment dragster 2297
10. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers, dragster 2280
11. Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster 2276
12. Shawn Langdon, Danville, Ind., Kalitta Air Careers dragster 2248
Next Scheduled MISSION FOODS TOUR Event:
55th annual NHRA Gatornationals
March 8-10, 2024
Gainesville Raceway
Gainesville, Fla.
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.
