Torrence battles way Northwest Nationals victory

Steve Torrence not only officially secured a starting place for NHRA’s Countdown  to the Championship, but he did it in winning fashion Sunday by outlasting a tough Top Fuel line-up on a 90-plus-degree day to claim the the O’Reilly Auto Parts Northwest Nationals title at Pacific Raceways.

The victory was the Kilgore, Texas driver’s third in his fifth final round of a season that has carried him from a challenger to a true championship contender.  It also fulfilled a promise Torrence made one week ago after a first-round loss at Sonoma, Calif.

“We are going to Seattle and we are going to close this Western Swing with a bang,” he commented at the time.

This triumph was well-earned.  He ended the competitive day for Steve Chrisman, Khalid alBalooshi, Doug Kalitta and Shawn Langdon allowing him to climb within one point of third-place Tony Schumacher (1,109-1,108) in Full Throttle Series standings.

His first-round decision over Steve Chrisman – featuring a sashaying Torrence Racing/Capco Contractors Inc. dragster going down the 1,000-foot track – was the most spectacular of the daym highlighting his sharp driving skills.  He stopped the timer in 4.563 seconds at 208.46 mph to beat Chrisman’s traction-troubled run of 6.880 at 84.31.

“I didn’t think the car moved around that much until I saw the replay,” he recalled.  “It was my job to get the car to the finish line . . . and I did.  Steve Chrisman has a very consistent race car that goes down the track. I heard him there beside me and I knew I had to stay there.  As long as I heard him there I was going to pedal the car.

“We’ll take a win any way we can get it.  We definitely had to work for that one today. We had a good race car today and we wanted to win this one for (crew chief) Richard Hogan.  It was his birthday.”

Torrence left first against alBalooshi in the quarterfinals -- .067 to .099 – and advanced with his fifth hole-shot decision of the season, 3.879 at 303.03 to a 3.877 at 312.64 before ousting Doug Kalitta in the semifinals with a 4.138, 274.898 to a 6.310 at 142.39.

In the finale against longtime friend Shawn Langdon, Torrence was determined to finish first . . . and then he was one of the last ones to find out that he had.

“He had me pretty nervous,” he said.  “Shawn’s a great driver.  We grew up racing against each other. I felt the car trying to knock the tire off in the final round and I just tried to get the car to the finish line.  But I didn’t know where he was and I didn’t know who won.  I kept gesturing to the guys at the top end and asking who won, but they didn’t know.  And then someone told me I did!”

The winning time was 4.168 seconds at 261.98 to 4.329 at 254.57.

The team resumes series action at Brainerd, Minn., Aug. 17-19, in the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.

Torrence loses tough final round at Route 66 Raceway

Steve Torrence advanced to his third final round of the season Sunday at Route 66 Raceway, but this time he didn’t make it to the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 Nationals finals at Joliet, Ill. 

He did, however, turn in another outstanding race-day performance that included a three-hour rain delay and was marred only by his red-light start against Antron Brown in the championship round.

 Torrence left 15-thousandths of a second too soon and Brown stopped the timer in 3.784 seconds at 322.88 mph.

“I knew I had to push the ’tree because Antron also was running well all day,” said Torrence.  “We really had a good car all day.  I thought we needed to step it up a little . . . and that got me. I put the car in a little too far.

“It was disappointing, but all-in-all this Capco team had a great weekend.”

He has victories in Atlanta and Englishtown, N.J. and a hold on fourth place in Full Throttle Series standings. 

Those are impressive results considering this was the 14th race for the Torrence Racing/Capco Contractors Inc. Top Fuel team, including three from 2011.  Just six races remain before the start of the Countdown to the Championship.

Torrence’s driving was flawless until the last lap.  He jumped ahead of Cory McClenathan in the first round – a .043-second reaction to a .099 – and never looked back.  His 3.859-second, 318.99 mph 1,000-foot time beat a traction-troubled 5.2589 at 133.13. 

His .054 reaction and a 3.833 at 320.36 against Spencer Massey’s .077, 3.836 at 323.77 in the next round took him into the semifinals against Hilary Will.  Torrence’s quickest run and the day, 3.817 at 319.37 beat Will’s tire-smoking 7.780 at 76.85.

The Capco team will be back in action Friday in the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Norwalk, Ohio.

Hot Torrence team ready to turn up the heat in Bristol

He savored the memories of his recent Top Fuel victory at Englishtown, N.J., but now it is time for Steve Torrence and his Torrence Racing/Capco Contractors Inc. team to get back to work. 

While NHRA’s Full Throttle Series offers its millions of fans the almost-instant gratification of knowing who wins each round, victorious teams usually have a few days to reminisce about their hard-fought decisions before they begin preparing for the next event.

That, for Torrence, is the Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Friday through Sunday at Bristol Dragway, Bristol, Tenn. – a track like Englishtown that is steeped in drag racing tradition. 

“Things are going really well for the Capco team,” Torrence said.  “Richard Hogan has the car running awesome. Hopefully things will continue to go along like they are. We want to keep the momentum going.

“We are focusing on Bristol.  I’ve only raced a Top Fuel car there once, in 2010, and that was with another team.  It’s a good track.  We know the weather will be hot, but Richard has a good handle on the hot-weather tune-ups.  I am really excited about the race.”

In nine 2012 events, this new, one-car team has been to two finals – winning at Englishtown and Atlanta – and two semifinals; been in the top half of the starting line-up seven times, including one low qualifier, and had three consecutive second-place starts.

The effort has accumulated 644 series points for Torrence, good enough for the fifth spot and puts him 27 points behind third-place Antron Brown with seven races remaining before the Countdown to 1 six-race title showdown.

But Torrence isn’t paying attention to the points.  He told Joe Castello on WFO.com radio that he doesn’t “look at points. The only time points matter is at the final race at Pomona.  We will continue to do the same things. 

“Richard has been out here long enough to know exactly how to run the car,” he continued.  “He knows we are going to need a lot of inventory for the Countdown.  We are making plans for the Countdown now.

“I do not want to get the cart before the horse.  We have had some success.  I don’t think that it is just a flash in the pan.  I do think we have a very good team.  But we will continue to take it one race, one round at a time.” 

Asked about his Englishtown elimination wins by one-thousandth of a second over Tony Schumacher and Spencer Massey, Torrence remarked, “To beat Tony Schumacher or Spencer Massey at a race, you have definitely achieved something, but to beat them back-to-back . . . I think we were living lucky that day.”

Massey is the series points leader (753) and Schumacher is second (719).  They are Team Schumacher entries.