J.R. Todd Claims Runner-up Finish at Las Vegas Finals
Steve Torrence Gets First Round Win; Loses to Todd
LAS VEGAS - This time the script was different.
After collecting two final-round victories over Tony Schumacher in NHRA POWERade Series Top Fuel competition, J.R. Todd came in second Sunday in the ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
This time Schumacher thundered to the decision in a quick 4.469 seconds at 313.58 mph as Todd drove Dexter Tuttle's SKULL Shine/Torco Racing Fuels dragster to a 4.550 at 320.81 mph finish. Nevertheless, this was another impressive performance race from Todd and the team.
"Sometimes he can be on another planet . . . and he was today," said Todd of Schumacher's performance.
"I hate to go to the finals and lose, but at least we didn't beat ourselves. All you can do is race the track and hope it gives you a good lap. We did what we wanted to do, and that was go rounds today."
Todd, the frontrunner for this season's rookie of the year honor, has been to four finals in 18 events. He climbed into eighth place (1052 points) with only the Auto Club Finals, Nov. 9-12, remaining.
Todd was unknown when he beat Schumacher in the finals at Denver (July 15) and he came back to do it again two weeks later at Sonoma, Calif. He picked up his third winner's trophy at Reading, Pa. (Oct. 1), defeating Schumacher in the quarterfinals.
IT TOOK JUST TWO races before Todd and Steve Torrence, his new teammate, squared off against each other. It came in the quarterfinals and they put on a good show.
Torrence, who registered his quickest elapsed time (4.583 seconds) and speed (326.56 mph) in qualifying 11th, did what he needed against Todd. He left the starting line first with a .085-second reaction to Todd's .090. But Todd prevailed with a 4.582 at 320.28 to Torrence's 4.663 at 311.92.
Torrence, of Kilgore, Texas, picked up the first round win of his two-race career by outrunning Cory McClenathan in the opening round. Torrence had the jump at the line (.078 to .093) and turned on the win light with a 4.609 at 321.12 to the veteran McClenathan's 4.632 at 320.06.
"The engine had a cylinder out down-track," recalled Torrence, "and I felt it nosing over. I kept watching for the win light and saying 'go baby go!' to the car. It was a relief when I saw the win light. It was bittersweet, though, because I knew I'd be running J.R. in the next round.
"It was a really good weekend for our new team and a good day for us because we got our first round win. It came quicker than I thought it would. Cory is a good racer. I did my job and the crew did its job by giving me a good car to drive. It was a team effort."
The season's last event, the Auto Club Finals, unfolds at Pomona, Calif., Nov. 9-12.
