TORRENCE IN NARROW LOSS AT READING
Top Fuel Champ Faces Challenge as Tour Moves This Week to Charlotte
READING, Pa. – The road to an historic fifth consecutive Top Fuel World Championship grew a bit more challenging for Steve Torrence and his Capco Contractors teammates Sunday after they were ousted in the second round of the opening race in the NHRA’s 2022 Countdown to the Championship.
A narrow .008 of a second loss to Austin Prock in Sunday’s 37th Pep Boys Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway sends Torrence into this week’s Betway Carolina Nationals at Charlotte, N.C., trailing new front runner Justin Ashley by 56 points.
FINAL ROUND RESULTS
Top Fuel – Austin Prock, Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster, 3.755 seconds, 329.67 mph, def. Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect/Vita C dragster, 3.783, 326.40 mph.
Funny Car – Robert Hight, Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro, 3.937 seconds, 328.38 mph, def. Tim Wilkerson, Levi, Ray and Shoup Ford Mustang, foul.
Pro Stock – Erica Enders, Melling Performance Chevy Camaro, 6.582 seconds, 209.72 mph, def. Troy Coughlin Jr., JEG’S Chevy Camaro, 6.601, 209.56 mph.
Photos by Mark Rebilas
Steve Torrence and his Capco Contractors dragster were ousted in the second round Sunday at a packed house Maple Grove Raceway
in the first of six races in the NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
“I have all the faith in the world in these Capco Boys,” Torrence said. “We’re taking a good car to Charlotte. It’s an all-concrete track on which we’ve been successful in the past, so we’ll try to fire a shot or two and get back in this thing. We’re fortunate to be leaving here just a couple rounds behind.
“I’ve said it before, it’s hard to win out here,” said the 39-year-old Texan. “There are so many good cars and drivers right now that you can’t afford to make a mistake in the tune-up or in the cockpit. We may have dug ourselves a little hole, but these Capco Boys have been there before. We know what we have to do.”
Indeed, while he is best known for his incredible and unprecedented sweep of the 2018 playoffs, Torrence won his second championship a year later even though he was beaten in the first round of the playoff opener.
Working with a new engine/clutch combination designed to close an acknowledged performance gap between his Top Fuel Toyota and the dragster driven by regular season champion Brittany Force, Torrence has been victimized to some extent by the loss of mechanical consistency that made him virtually unbeatable the last five seasons.
However, consistency was not a problem Sunday, which is why the 52-time tour winner remains optimistic about his chances of extending his championship streak. After qualifying with a solid 3.711, he sped past former world champ Shawn Langdon in round one with a 3.740 and rang up a 3.767 in a round two duel with eventual race winner Austin Prock, whose 3.762 got him to the finish line just a couple ticks quicker.
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NHRA CAMPING WORLD TOUR Championship Points
TOP FUEL (After the first of six races in the Countdown to the Championship)
1. Justin Ashley, Farmingdale, N.Y., Phillips Connect/Vita C dragster 2170
2. Brittany Force, Aberdeen, N.C., Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac dragster 2161
3. Mike Salinas, San Martin, Calif., Pep Boys/Scrappers Racing dragster 2160
4. Antron Brown, Pittsboro, Ind., Matco Tools dragster 2116
5. Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, Capco Contractors dragster 2114
6. Austin Prock, Pittsboro, Ind., Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster 2096
7. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers/Technet dragster 2083
8. Doug Kalitta, Saline, Mich., Kalitta Air/Toyota dragster 2063
Leah Pruett, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Dodge Power Brokers dragster 2063
10. Shawn Langdon, Danville, Ind., CMR Roofing/Toyota dragster 2052
11. Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster 2046
12. Tony Schumacher, Lakeway, Texas, SCAG/Okuma dragster 2032
CAPCO CONTRACTORS race summary
37th Pep Boys Nationals
Qualifying – Steve Torrence, No. 5 a 3.711, 330.39 miles per hour.
Qualifying bonus points – None.
Round 1 – S. Torrence, 3.740, 324.51 mph, def. Shawn Langdon, 5.901, 131.00 mph.
Round 2 – S. Torrence, 3.767, 324.36 mph, lost to Austin Prock, 3.762, 326.87 mph.
Next Scheduled CAMPING WORLD TOUR Event:
14th Betway Carolina Nationals
Sept. 23-25, 2022
ZMax Dragway
Charlotte, N.C.
TOP FUEL (After the first of six races in the Countdown to the Championship)
1. Justin Ashley, Farmingdale, N.Y., Phillips Connect/Vita C dragster 2170
2. Brittany Force, Aberdeen, N.C., Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac dragster 2161
3. Mike Salinas, San Martin, Calif., Pep Boys/Scrappers Racing dragster 2160
4. Antron Brown, Pittsboro, Ind., Matco Tools dragster 2116
5. Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, Capco Contractors dragster 2114
6. Austin Prock, Pittsboro, Ind., Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster 2096
7. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers/Technet dragster 2083
8. Doug Kalitta, Saline, Mich., Kalitta Air/Toyota dragster 2063
Leah Pruett, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Dodge Power Brokers dragster 2063
10. Shawn Langdon, Danville, Ind., CMR Roofing/Toyota dragster 2052
11. Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster 2046
12. Tony Schumacher, Lakeway, Texas, SCAG/Okuma dragster 2032
CAPCO CONTRACTORS race summary
37th Pep Boys Nationals
Qualifying – Steve Torrence, No. 5 a 3.711, 330.39 miles per hour.
Qualifying bonus points – None.
Round 1 – S. Torrence, 3.740, 324.51 mph, def. Shawn Langdon, 5.901, 131.00 mph.
Round 2 – S. Torrence, 3.767, 324.36 mph, lost to Austin Prock, 3.762, 326.87 mph.
Next Scheduled CAMPING WORLD TOUR Event:
14th Betway Carolina Nationals
Sept. 23-25, 2022
ZMax Dragway
Charlotte, N.C.
About Capco Contractors Inc.:
Capco Contractors, Inc. is a family owned-and-operated construction company specializing in the oil and gas industries. A proud American company based in Texas with clients around the world, Capco was founded in 1995 by Billy Torrence and initially operated from a small office and one job-site trailer with a staff of only 12 employees. From those humble beginnings, Capco Contactors, Inc. has developed into a full-service pipeline company, capable of all aspects of pipeline work including site work, creation of compressor stations, mainline pipeline construction and pipeline integrity projects. It employs more than 200 people with main offices in Henderson, Texas.
