Although he qualified second, Billy got the starting line advantage in the final with an .059 reaction time only to have Steve beat him to the finish by .008 of a second with a narrow 3.750-3.768 second edge in performance.
Two years, a couple months and one pandemic later, they’ll compete again this week in the 32nd Menard’s Nationals and, despite his son’s complete dominance of the Camping World pro tour the last five seasons, a period during which he has won 38 times, it is the elder Torrence who is attracting much of the pre-race attention.
Photos by Mark Rebilas
After opting out of the last three NHRA tour events, Billy Torrence will reunite with son Steve at the Heartland Nationals where both drive Capco Contractors Top Fuel dragsters in the 32nd Menard’s Nationals.
Photos by Mark Rebilas
Steve Torrence deploys the braking parachutes on his Capco Contractors Top Fuel dragster which he will try to put in the winners’ circle for the second consecutive time in the Menard’s Nationals at Topeka, Kan.
In fact, on the very weekend that the younger Torrence was winning the NHRA Sonoma Nationals in California’s wine country (July 23-25), his dad was wading through a field of more than 100 to win a Lucas Oil Series divisional at Heartland Park during which his average reaction time for seven rounds was a miniscule .014 of a second.
“He’ll definitely be hard to beat,” Torrence said of his dad, “but you can’t help but feel confident going up there with this car with Richard Hogan, Bobby Lagana and the Capco Boys behind you.”
Indeed, Torrence has won six of the 10 races contested thus far this season and, as a result, has opened a 313-point lead over the field with just three events remaining before the points are adjusted for the Countdown to the Championship. Although he opted out of three races, Billy currently is eighth in points.
Despite the fact that the younger Torrence is trying to become just the seventh pro driver in history to win as many as four consecutive championships, the rivalry between father and son is quite real and pre-dates their ascension to Top Fuel.
Both are former NHRA South Central Division sportsman champions (Billy in Super Comp in 1999; Steve in Top Alcohol Dragster in 2005) and both were born with a shared competitiveness that extends to virtually everything.
“It’s always better racing with my dad,” Steve said, “It’s something we’ve always done as a family, Momma Kay, my dad and me, and now that the family has grown (with his 2020 marriage to Natalie Jahnke and the birth last May of their daughter, Charli), it’s that much more special that we can do this together.”
A two-time national event winner in Super Comp before he started driving Top Fuel dragsters, the elder Torrence has won seven times as a pro, most recently at the June 13 TascaParts.com Nationals at Epping, N.H.
Looking Back:
Steve Torrence at the Menard’s Nationals
Year Qualifying Position/Racing Result
2010 Topeka 6. Lost to Terry McMillen
2012 Topeka 2. Beat Hillary Will; lost to David Grubnic (centerline dq)
2013 Topeka 9. Beat David Grubnic; lost to Shawn Langdon
2014 Topeka 4. Lost to Terry McMillen
2015 Topeka 11. Lost to Brittany Force
2016 Topeka 3. Beat Smax Smith, Shawn Langdon; lost to Doug Kalitta
2017 Topeka 5. Beat Mike Salinas, Brittany Force, Clay Millican; lost to Antron Brown
2018 Topeka 2. Beat Terry Haddock, Brittany Force; lost to Terry McMillen
2019 Topeka 1. Beat Terry Totten, bye, Antron Brown and Billy Torrence
2020 Topeka Event Not Contested
Steve’s quickest time: 3.677 seconds, May 20, 2017
Steve’s fastest speed: 334.24 mph, May 20, 2018
Track records – 3.660 seconds by Tony Schumacher, May 20, 2017; 334.90 mph by Clay Millican, May 21, 2018.
Steve Torrence this season
3/14 Gainesville, FL 1. Beat Joe Morrison; lost to Josh Hart.
4/18 Las Vegas, NV 2. WINNER over Doug Kalitta (Clay Millican and Brown)
5/2 Atlanta, GA 2. Beat Buddy Hull, Justin Ashley, Shawn Langdon; lost to Antron Brown
5/16 Charlotte, NC 2. WINNER over Brittany Force (Antron Brown and Josh Hart)
5/23 Houston, TX 1. Beat Mitch King, bye, beat Clay Millican and Doug Kalitta
6/13 Epping, N.H. 4. Beat Clay Millican, Leah Pruett; lost to Mike Salinas
6/27 Norwalk, OH 1. Beat Shawn Langdon, Leah Pruett, Austin Prock and Brittany Force
7/18 Denver, CO 2. Beat Rob Passey, bye, Mike Salinas and Joey Haas.
7/25 Sonoma, CA 2. Beat Cameron Ferre, Doug Kalitta, Antron Brown and Leah Pruett
8/1 Pomona, CA 4. Lost to Antron Brown.
NHRA CAMPING WORLD TOUR Championship Points
(After 10 of 20 scheduled events)
TOP FUEL
1. Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, Capco Contractors dragster 1014
2. Antron Brown, Pittsboro, Ind., Matco Tools dragster 701
3. Brittany Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., FLAV-R-PAC/ Monster Energy dragster 625
4. Leah Pruett, Avon, Ind., Sparkling Ice Spiked Seltzer dragster 579
5. Shawn Langdon, Indianapolis, Ind., DHL/Kalitta Air dragster 514
6. Mike Salinas, San Jose, Calif., Scrappers Racing dragster 513
7. Justin Ashley, Plainview, N.Y., Strutmasters/GuardLab dragster 466
8. Billy Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, Capco Contractors dragster 448
9. Doug Kalitta, Ann Arbor, Mich., Mac Tools/Mobil 1 dragster 439
10. Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster 388
Looking Ahead
2021 NHRA Camping World Tour
8-22 Lucas Oil Nationals Brainerd, MN
9-05 Dodge SRT U.S. Nationals Indianapolis, IN
Countdown to the Championship
9-12 Mopar Express Lane Nationals Reading, PA
9-19 NHRA Carolina Nationals Charlotte, NC
9-26 NHRA Midwest Nationals St. Louis, MO
