TORRENCE TO THE SEMIFINALS AGAIN
Four-Time Reigning Top Fuel Champ Moves Up to No. 3 in Camping World Points
PHOENIX, Ariz. – So far this season, Steve Torrence isn’t winning races at the torrid pace he did in 2020 and 2021 when he hoisted the trophy after every other race on the Camping World tour, but that doesn’t mean the Texan’s bid for a fifth consecutive NHRA Top Fuel championship has gone off the rails.
Although he left Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park Sunday without the hardware at the 37th running of the NHRA Arizona Nationals, he and his Capco Contractors team will move on to the upcoming 53rd Amailie Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., in third place in points and brimming with confidence.
FINAL ROUND RESULTS
Top Fuel – Mike Salinas, Scrappers Racing dragster, 3.751, 318.24 mph, def. Clay Millican, Parts Plus dragster, 3.769, 322.73 mph.
Funny Car – Robert Hight, Auto Club Chevy Camaro, 3.837, 330.39 mph, def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Power Brokers Challenger Hellcat, 4.045, 267.00 mph.
Pro Stock – Aaron Stanfield, Janac Brothers Chevy Camaro, 6.539, 210.24 mph, def. Troy Coughlin Jr., JEGs Chevy Camaro, 6.526, 210.50 mph.
“We’ve been a little bit off our game,” Torrence said after his semifinal loss to eventual race winner and new point leader Mike Salinas, “but we’re still winning rounds, so it’s not all bad. We’ll just keep on grinding. It’s a long season. You’re not going to win a championship in the first couple races.Top Fuel – Mike Salinas, Scrappers Racing dragster, 3.751, 318.24 mph, def. Clay Millican, Parts Plus dragster, 3.769, 322.73 mph.
Funny Car – Robert Hight, Auto Club Chevy Camaro, 3.837, 330.39 mph, def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Power Brokers Challenger Hellcat, 4.045, 267.00 mph.
Pro Stock – Aaron Stanfield, Janac Brothers Chevy Camaro, 6.539, 210.24 mph, def. Troy Coughlin Jr., JEGs Chevy Camaro, 6.526, 210.50 mph.
“Our strategy hasn’t changed at all,” he said. “We still just try to put ourselves in position to win. If you keep doing that, the trophies eventually will come.”
Meanwhile, Torrence had nothing but praise for Salinas, who is off to the best start of his pro career.
“Mike has made himself one of the best leavers out there,” said the 51-time Top Fuel winner, “plus he’s assembled a really good team patterned after our own Capco bunch. I expect them to be in the hunt right to the end.”
The No. 3 qualifier, Torrence used a big starting line advantage to forge a holeshot victory over Brittany Force in round two. That sent him to the semis against Salinas, who got a virtual free pass when the usually reliable Capco dragster lost traction shortly after Torrence grabbed the early lead.
The 38-year-old cancer survivor will be one of eight drivers with a chance to double-up at Gainesville where he is the No. 1 qualifier for the inaugural Pep Boys All Star Callout, a unique bonus race in which the higher qualified drivers will pick their own opponents.
NHRA CAMPING WORLD TOUR Championship Points
TOP FUEL (After 2 of 16 events leading into the Countdown to the Championship)
1. Mike Salinas, San Jose, Calif., Scrappers Racing dragster 181
2. Justin Ashley, Farmingdale, N.Y., Phillips Connect/Vita C dragster 159
3. Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, Capco Contractors dragster 152
4. Brittany Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., FLAV-R-PAC/Monster Energy dragster 139
5. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers/Technet dragster 125
6. Austin Prock, Pittsboro, Ind., Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster 123
7. Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster 122
8. Tony Schumacher, Lakeway, Texas, Maynard Family/SCAG/Okuma dragster 104
9. Shawn Langdon, Danville, Ind., DHL/CMR Roofing/Toyota dragster 86
10. Doug Kalitta, Saline, Mich., Mac Tools/Toyota dragster 76
Next Scheduled CAMPING WORLD TOUR Event:
53rd Amalie Oil Gatornationals
March 11-13, 2022
Gainesville Raceway
Gainesville, Fla.
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.
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Pep Boys NHRA All-Star Callout
March 12, 2022, Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville, Fla.
Top Fuel Qualifiers
1. Steve Torrence 3,290
2. Brittany Force 2,810
3. Mike Salinas 2,770
4. Justin Ashley 2,705
5. Antron Brown 2,530
6. Leah Pruett 2,500
7. Doug Kalitta 2,415
8. Shawn Langdon 2,405
March 12, 2022, Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville, Fla.
Top Fuel Qualifiers
1. Steve Torrence 3,290
2. Brittany Force 2,810
3. Mike Salinas 2,770
4. Justin Ashley 2,705
5. Antron Brown 2,530
6. Leah Pruett 2,500
7. Doug Kalitta 2,415
8. Shawn Langdon 2,405
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.
