Champ Pads Point Lead in Bid for Fourth Straight Top Fuel Championship
Although his Capco Contractors dragster was quickest in all three qualifying rounds, Torrence watched Force post the two quickest times on race day including a track record-setting 3.696 in a semifinal win over Antron Brown.
In the money round, though, it was Torrence’s .058-.078 starting line advantage that made the difference, getting his Capco dragster to the finish line first even though it was .006 slower on the track.
It was the 44th win for the talented Texan since he founded Torrence Racing in 2012 and it moved him into a tie for 18th on the all-time NHRA victories list with the late Pro Stock Motorcycle champion David Schultz.
In winning for the third time in his last four appearances in the Summit Nationals, the 38-year-old extended his lead over Brown to 215 points. Force moved up to fourth, 291 points behind, as the Camping World tour prepares for a restructured Western Swing that begins July 16-18 with the Dodge Mile-High Nationals at Denver.
“It takes a toll on you, mentally,” Torrence said of Sunday’s three rain delays, one just before the final round. “You think you’re going to go and then you don’t. Up and down; up and down. Fortunately, experience helps you overcome that. This ain’t our first rodeo.
“Brittany’s got a fast race car and she got everyone’s attention with that 3.69 in the semis,” Torrence said, “but our ol’ hot rod ain’t bad either. I knew these Capco boys would give me a car good enough to win if I could just do my job at the starting line.”
Mission accomplished.
One added benefit of the victory was that it kept Force from moving around Billy Torrence in the standings after he lost to Brown in a classic second round duel.
CAPCO CONTRACTORS race summary 14th Summit Racing Equipment Nationals
Qualifying – Steve Torrence, No. 1 at 3.705 seconds, 328.14 miles per hour.
Qualifying bonus points – The maximum of 9, 3 each for quick time in Q1, Q2 and Q3.
Round 1 – S. Torrence, 3.915, 305.98 mph, def. Shawn Langdon, 9.536, 77.66 mph.
Round 2 – S. Torrence, 3.781, 325.45 mph, def. Leah Pruett, 3.7771, 326.95 mph.
Semifinals – S. Torrence, 3.739, 321.88 mph, def. Austin Prock, 3.956, 243.81 mph.
FINAL– Steve Torrence, 3.736, 313.88 mph, def. Brittany Force, 3.730, 326.24 mph.
Qualifying – Billy Torrence, No. 3 at 3.724 seconds, 325.37 miles per hour.
Qualifying bonus points: 1, for third quick time in Q1.
Round 1 – B. Torrence, 3.789, 325.22 mph, def. Joe Morrison, 5.687, 123.36 mph.
Round 2 – B. Torrence, 3.793, 323.74 mph, lost to Antron Brown, 3.783, 323.97 mph.
FINAL ROUND RESULTS
Top Fuel – Steve Torrence, Capco Contractors dragster, 3.736, 313.88 mph, def. Brittany Force, 3.730, 326.24 mph.Funny Car –Cruz Pedregon, 3.958, 324.75 mph, def. Bob Tasca III, 3.923, 332.02 mph.
Pro Stock – Erica Enders, 6.606, 205.44 mph, def. Greg Anderson, 6.594, 206.20 mph.
CAMPING WORLD TOUR Championship Points (After 7 of 21 scheduled events) NHRA
TOP FUEL
1. Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, Capco Contractors dragster 733
2. Antron Brown, Pittsboro, Ind., Matco Tools dragster 518
3. Billy Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, Capco Contractors dragster 448
4. Brittany Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., Monster Energy/FLAV-R-PAC dragster 442
5. Shawn Langdon, Indianapolis, Ind., DHL/Kalitta Air dragster 385
6. Doug Kalitta, Ann Arbor, Mich., Mac Tools/Mobil 1 dragster 347
7. Justin Ashley, Plainview, N.Y., Strutmasters/GuardLab dragster 337
8. Leah Pruett, Avon, Ind., MOPAR/Pennzoil/Okuma dragster 320
9. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., Burnyzz/Technet dragster 310
10. Mike Salinas, San Jose, Calif., Scrappers Racing dragster 318
Next Scheduled CAMPING WORLD TOUR Event:
41st Dodge SRT Mile-High Nationals
July 18, 2021
Bandimere Speedway
Denver, Colo.
