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TORRENCE WON’T CHANGE THE GAME PLAN
Texan Bidding for Fourth Straight NHRA Top Fuel Title at Auto Club Finals
Texan Steve Torrence can lock up his fourth straight NHRA Top Fuel championship this week when he drives his Capco Contractors dragster in the season-ending 56th Auto Club Finals at Pomona, Calif.
“We won’t change what we do,” insisted the 38-year-old Texan, who will roll his Capco Contractors dragster to the starting line Friday at Auto Club Raceway with a 105-point lead. “Our first goal is to get well-qualified and, after that, to go out and win the race. We’ve learned that if you do that, everything else will take care of itself.”
That simple strategy, facilitated by a crew of “Capco Boys” led by Richard Hogan and Bobby Lagana Jr., has lifted the 50-time Camping World tour winner to a level of Top Fuel dominance rivaling that of Tony Schumacher when he won six consecutive NHRA championships starting in 2004.
Steve Torrence deploys the braking parachutes on his Capco Contractors Top Fuel dragster after winning two weeks ago at Las Vegas. The three-time reigning NHRA world champ can lock up another title this week in the season-ending Auto Club Finals at Pomona, Calif
Nevertheless, none of that will matter this weekend.
“This is a ‘what have you done for me lately’ sport,” Torrence said. “You’re only as good as your last run. People talk about us dominating everything, but it’s so competitive out there right now. On a given day, anybody can win.
“You’ve got Antron (Brown) and Doug (Kalitta) and Clay (Millican) and Brittany (Force) and Leah (Pruett), Mike Salinas and Shawn Langdon, and then you have a whole new generation coming up with guys like Justin Ashley and Josh Hart. That’s what keeps us motivated, having to prove ourselves all over again every weekend.”
Few have responded to that challenge more forcefully than Torrence who, over the last five years, has become one of only a handful of NHRA pros to have won races at every track on tour. Moreover, with 10 wins this year, he is the first driver in 13 years (since Schumacher in 2008) to win at least half the races in the series.
“I say it every week, but I mean it every time: all the credit goes to God, my momma (team owner “Momma Kay” Torrence) and the Capco Boys. I’m just blessed to be the guy who’s strapped in the seat.”
Photos by Mark Rebilas
Steve Torrence shared the winners’ circle with his wife Natalie, left, his mother, “Momma Kay” Torrence, and daughter Haven Charli after winning two weeks ago at Las Vegas. The Texan can lock up his fourth straight NHRA Top Fuel title in this week’s 56th Auto Club Finals at Pomona, Calif.
NHRA CAMPING WORLD TOUR Championship Points
(After 19 of 20 scheduled events)
TOP FUEL
1. Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, Capco Contractors dragster 2694
2. Brittany Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., Monster Energy dragster 2589
3. Mike Salinas, San Jose, Calif., Scrappers Racing dragster 2522
4. Justin Ashley, Plainview, N.Y., Strutmasters/GuardLab dragster 2506
5. Billy Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, Capco Contractors dragster 2411
6. Leah Pruett, Avon, Ind., Sparkling Ice Spiked Seltzer dragster 2343
7. Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster 2302
8. Antron Brown, Pittsboro, Ind., Matco Tools dragster 2285
9. Shawn Langdon, Indianapolis, Ind., DHL/Kalitta Air dragster 2260
10. Doug Kalitta, Ann Arbor, Mich., Mac Tools/Mobil 1 dragster 2211
Looking Back:
Steve Torrence at the Auto Club Finals
Year Qualifying Position/Racing Result
2006 Pomona2 13. Lost to Melanie Troxel
2008 Pomona2 9. Lost to Rod Fuller
2009 Pomona2 11. Lost to Doug Kalitta
2010 Pomona2 9. Lost to Antron Brown
2012 Pomona2 8. Lost to Bob Vandergriff Jr.
2013 Pomona2 15. Lost to Shawn Langdon
2014 Pomona2 13. Beat Doug Kalitta; lost to J.R. Todd
2015 Pomona2 8. Beat Dave Connolly; lost to Antron Brown
2016 Pomona2 7. Beat Wayne Newby; lost to Shawn Langdon
2017 Pomona2 5. Beat Troy Buff; lost to Antron Brown
2018 Pomona2 2. Beat Cameron Ferre, Billy Torrence, Brittany Force and Tony Schumacher
2019 Pomona2 1. Beat Cameron Ferre, Brittany Force; lost to Richie Crampton
2020 Pomona2 Event Not Contested due to COVID-19
Steve’s quickest time: 3.657 seconds, Feb. 9, 2019
Steve’s fastest speed: 333.00 mph, Feb. 11, 2018
Track records – 3.628 seconds by Clay Millican, Feb. 10, 2018; 333.58 mph by Brittany Force, Nov. 10, 2018.
Steve Torrence at the Lucas Oil Winternatinals
2010 Pomona1 6. Lost to Antron Brown
2011 Pomona1 10. Lost to Doug Kalitta
2012 Pomona1 9. Lost to Shawn Langdon
2013 Pomona1 8. Beat Spencer Massey; lost to Tony Schumacher
2014 Pomona1 6. Beat Terry McMillen, Clay Millican; lost to Khalid alBalooshi
2015 Pomona1 5. Beat Troy Buff; lost to Spencer Massey
2016 Pomona1 1. Beat Steve Faria, Morgan Lucas, Richie Crampton and Doug Kalitta
2017 Pomona1 8. Beat Troy Buff; lost to Leah Pritchett
2018 Pomona1 2. Beat Steve Faria; lost to Antron Brown
2019 Pomona1 1. Beat Steve Faria, bye, Mike Salinas; lost to Doug Kalitta
2020 Pomona1 Did Not Compete
2021 Pomona1 4. Lost to Antron Brown
Steve Torrence this season
March 14/Gainesville, FL 1. Beat Joe Morrison; lost to Josh Hart.
April 18/Las Vegas, NV 2. Four-Wide WINNER over Doug Kalitta
May 2/Atlanta, GA 2. Beat Buddy Hull, Justin Ashley, Shawn Langdon; lost to Antron Brown
May 16/Charlotte, NC 2. Four-Wide WINNER over Brittany Force.
May 23/Houston, TX 1. Beat Mitch King, bye, beat Clay Millican and Doug Kalitta.
June 13/Epping, N.H. 4. Beat Clay Millican, Leah Pruett; lost to Mike Salinas
June 27/Norwalk, OH 1. Beat Shawn Langdon, Leah Pruett, Austin Prock and Brittany Force
July 18/Denver, CO 2. Beat Rob Passey, bye, Mike Salinas and Joey Haas.
July 25/Sonoma, CA 2. Beat Cameron Ferre, Doug Kalitta, Antron Brown and Leah Pruett
Aug. 1/Pomona, CA 4. Lost to Antron Brown.
Aug. 15/Topeka, KS 4. Beat Leah Pruett, Justin Ashley; lost to Brittany Force
Aug. 22/Brainerd, MN 2. Beat Terry Totten, Justin Ashley, bye and Clay Millican
Sept. 5/Indianapolis, IN 2. Beat Antron Brown, Greg Carrillo, Billy Torrence and Brittany Force
Sept. 12/Reading, PA 2. Beat Joe Morrison, bye; lost to Justin Ashley.
Sept. 19/Charlotte, NC 5. Beat Doug Kalitta, Billy Torrence; lost to Brittany Force
Sept. 26 at St. Louis 3. Beat Shawn Langdon, Antron Brown, Josh Hart and Mike Salinas
Oct. 10/Dallas, TX 2. Beat Buddy Hull, Doug Kalitta, Josh Hart; lost to Justin Ashley
Oct. 17/Bristol, TN 1. Beat Cameron Ferre, bye, Justin Ashley; lost to Mike Salinas
Oct. 31/Las Vegas, NV 2. Beat Jim Maroney, Tripp Tatum, Justin Ashley and Mike Salinas
Looking Ahead
2022 NHRA Camping World Tour
2-20 Lucas Oil Winternationals Pomona, CA
2-27 NHRA Arizona Nationals Phoenix, AZ
3-13 Amalie Oil Gatornationals Gainesville, FL
4-3 NHRA Four-Wide Nationals Las Vegas, NV
4-24 Mopar Express Lane Spring Nationals Houston, TX
5-1 NGK/NTK 4Wide Nationals Charlotte, NC
5-15 NHRA Virginia Nationals Richmond, VA
6-5 NHRA New England Nationals Epping, NH
6-19 NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals Bristol, TN
6-26 Summit Racing Equipment Nationals Norwalk, OH
7-17 Dodge Mile-High Nationals Denver, CO
7-24 NHRA Sonoma Nationals Sonoma, CA
7-31 FLAV-R-PAC Nationals Seattle, WA
8-14 Menard’s Nationals Topeka, KS
8-21 Lucas Oil Nationals Brainerd, MN
9-5 Dodge SRT U.S. Nationals Indianapolis, IN
Countdown to the Championship
9-18 Mopar Express Lane Nationals Reading, PA
9-25 NHRA Carolina Nationals Charlotte, NC
10-2 NHRA Midwest Nationals St. Louis, MO
10-16 NHRA Texas Fall Nationals Dallas, TX
10-30 Dodge SRT Nationals Las Vegas, NV
11-13 Auto Club Finals Pomona, CA
