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TORRENCE BACK IN WINNERS’ CIRCLE
Beats Kalitta to Prevail in 34th FLAV-R-PAC Northwest Nationals at Seattle
SEATTLE, Wash. – On a track on which he hadn’t won since 2012, Steve Torrence flashed the form that carried him and his CAPCO Contractors team to four consecutive Top Fuel world championships, negotiating the less preferred lane at Pacific Raceways in 3.940 seconds at only 289.26 miles per hour to beat a tire-smoking Doug Kalitta in the final round of Sunday’s 34th FLAV-R-PAC Northwest Nationals.
Photos by Jason Zindroski
Steve Torrence drove his CAPCO Contractors dragster to the Top Fuel championship in Sunday's 34th FLAV-R-PAC Northwest Nationals at Seattle. It was the four-time World Champion's first win of the season and it propelled him into the point lead as the Camping World tour moves this week to Sonoma, Calif.
Team CAPCO
Competition Capsule
From the 34th FLAV-R-PAC Nationals at Seattle, Wash.
STEVE TORRENCE
Qualifying position/performance: No. 4 at 3.764 seconds, 327.98 miles per hour.
Qualifying bonus points: Two for second quick time in Q2.
Mission 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge points (event/season): 3/5
Race finish: WINNER
Current points position: First
Race detail: Beat Josh Hart, 3.736 seconds, 328.30 mph, to 3.750, 331.12 mph; Brittany Force, 3.752, 328.78 mph, to 8.811, 70.93 mph; Shawn Langdon, 4.016, 272.28 mph, to 4.074, 272.12 mph; and Doug Kalitta, 3.940, 289.26 mph, to 4.861, 169.21 mph.
“Two rounds were stellar and two rounds were hard,” Torrence said of his day’s work, “but you’ve got to stay confident and it’s difficult to be as confident as you need to be to drive these things successfully when things are not going great.
“Sometimes, you just need to take a step back, re-evaluate the situation and acknowledge how thankful and grateful and fortunate and blessed we are to be able to do what we do with the great partners that we have.
“This is a great place to win,” he enthused, “and I feel like we’re getting some momentum going at just the right time. We’re getting that race car back that we had in years past.”
The victory propelled the Texas rancher and businessman past Justin Ashley and back into the point lead with only four races remaining before the NHRA adjusts the points for the start of the Countdown to the Camping World Championship.
“I've been in these situations on both sides of the spectrum,” said the former Top Alcohol Dragster World Champ (2005), “where you dominate the entire first half of the season or first two thirds of the season and you go into the last six (races) and falter (as he did in 2017) or you go into the last six and win them all (as he did a year later) or you just win by a couple points or whatever. But yeah, it's a good time to peak; it's a good time to start getting ready for the Countdown.”
It was a particularly emotional victory, not just because it was the 200th for Toyota nor because it was the first this season for him and his CAPCO boys, but also because it was his first since the passing of his grandmother last March.
“She was our biggest fan,” Torrence said. “She never missed a race; never missed watching it on TV or on the iPad. This is the first win without her being with us and it’s definitely something I wanted to get done a lot quicker than now, but it’s very gratifying to be able to do it.”
In winning for the 54th time in his pro career, the 40-year-old cancer survivor extended to eight the number of consecutive seasons in which he has won at least one tour event. After qualifying fourth while winning Saturday’s Mission Foods 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge, he took out Josh Hart in round one before beating reigning World Champion Brittany Force in the quarterfinals and former champion Shawn Langdon in the semifinals.
“I knew that as the day got hotter, the car was going to be a little more susceptible to spinning the tires out there and that’s exactly what happened,” he said. “We struggled with it but, fortunately, on this day, we were able to do better than the guy beside us. And so, right now, my confidence is back.
“I don't think (the car) is as good as it can be, but it's definitely moving in the right direction,” he said. “We just need to continue moving forward and I think we have a really good race car going into Sonoma (and this week’s 35th DENSO Sonoma Nationals).”
Steve Torrence shows off the hardware after winning the Top Fuel championship in Sunday's 34th FLAV-R-PAC Northwest Nationals at Seattle, Wash. The four-time World Champion's win was his first of the season but the 200th for Team Toyota in the NHRA series.
34th FLAV-R-PAC Northwest Nationals
FINAL ROUND RESULTS
Top Fuel – Steve Torrence, CAPCO Contractors dragster, 3.940 seconds, 289.26 mph, def. Doug Kalitta, MAC Tools dragster, 4.861, 169.21 mph.
Funny Car – Tim Wilkerson, SCAG Power Equipment/LRS Mustang, 4.007, 321.96 mph, def. J.R. Todd, DHL Toyota Supra, 4.014, 323.27 mph.
MISSION 2FAST/2TASTY TOP FUEL CHALLENGE (Saturday)
Semifinals – Steve Torrence, CAPCO Contractors dragster, 3.764, 327.98 mph, def. Doug Kalitta, MAC Tools dragster, 5.260, 136.44 mph; Shawn Langdon, Kalitta Air Careers dragster, 3.820, 322.04 mph, def. Clay Millican, Parts Plus dragster, 3.814, 322.04 mph.
FINAL – Torrence, 3.788, 325.61 mph, def. Langdon, 4.170, 206.16 mph.
NHRA CAMPING WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
TOP FUEL
(After 11 of 15 events leading into the Countdown to the Championship)
1. Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, CAPCO Contractors dragster 821
2. Justin Ashley, Farmingdale, N.Y., Phillips Connect dragster 817
3. Leah Pruett, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Dodge Direct Connection dragster 685
4. Brittany Force, Aberdeen, N.C., Flav-R-Pac dragster/ Monster Energy 684
5. Austin Prock, Pittsboro, Ind., Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster 654
6. Doug Kalitta, Saline, Mich., MAC Tools/Toyota dragster 637
7. Antron Brown, Pittsboro, Ind., Matco Tools dragster 624
8. Mike Salinas, San Jose, Calif., Scrappers Racing dragster 622
9. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers dragster 571
10. Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster 568
11. Shawn Langdon, Danville, Ind., Kalitta Air Careers dragster 544
12. Tony Schumacher, Lakeway, Texas, SCAG Equipment dragster 453
PEP BOYS ALL-STAR CALLOUT POINTS
(For race to be run in conjunction with 2024 Amalie Gatornationals at Gainesville, Fla.)
TOP FUEL
1.Brittany Force, FLAV-R-PAC/Monster Energy dragster 1,665
2. Leah Pruett, Dodge Direct Connection dragster 1,615
3. Steve Torrence, CAPCO Contractors dragster 1,595
Mike Salinas, Pep Boys/Scrappers Racing dragster 1,595
5. Doug Kalitta, MAC Tools dragster 1,560
6. Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect dragster 1,535
7. Antron Brown, Matco Tools dragster 1,455
8. Austin Prock, Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster 1,400
Next Scheduled CAMPING WORLD TOUR Event:
35th DENSO Sonoma Nationals
July 28-30, 2023
Sonoma Raceway
Sonoma, 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 (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.
