TORRENCE ‘CLIMB’ FALLS JUST SHORT
Four-Time World Champ Out in Semis at 43rd and Final Mile-High Nationals
DENVER, Colo. – Steve Torrence’s bid to successfully scale the mountain for the third time in his last five tries ended just shy of the summit Sunday when the four-time Top Fuel World Champion was upended by Doug Kalitta in the semifinals of the 43rd and final Dodge Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway.
Team CAPCO Competition Capsule
From the 43rd Dodge Mile-High Nationals at Denver, Colo.
STEVE TORRENCE
Qualifying position/performance: No. 6 at 3.800 seconds, 324.59 miles per hour.
Qualifying bonus points: One for third quick time in Q2.
Mission 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge points (event/season): 0/1
Race finish: Semifinalist
Current points position: Second
Race detail: Beat Justin Ashley, 3.817, 325.64 mph, to 4.431, 244.34 mph; Antron Brown, 3.903, 292.14 mph, to 3.943, 292.84 mph; lost to Doug Kalitta, 3.885, 301.81 mph to 3.851, 318.77 mph.
Although he was understandably disappointed with the overall result, the 53-time Camping World tour winner did manage to beat point leader Justin Ashley in a first round race with championship implications.From the 43rd Dodge Mile-High Nationals at Denver, Colo.
STEVE TORRENCE
Qualifying position/performance: No. 6 at 3.800 seconds, 324.59 miles per hour.
Qualifying bonus points: One for third quick time in Q2.
Mission 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge points (event/season): 0/1
Race finish: Semifinalist
Current points position: Second
Race detail: Beat Justin Ashley, 3.817, 325.64 mph, to 4.431, 244.34 mph; Antron Brown, 3.903, 292.14 mph, to 3.943, 292.84 mph; lost to Doug Kalitta, 3.885, 301.81 mph to 3.851, 318.77 mph.
He won in a best-of-eliminations 3.817 seconds at 325.64 miles per hour; Ashley trailed in a tire-smoking 4.431 seconds at only 244 mph.
After dispatching close friend Antron Brown in round two, the 40-year-old Texan forged a .023 of a second starting line advantage against Kalitta but couldn’t make it pay off, losing by .018 of a second when the 11,000 horsepower engine in his CAPCO hybrid suffered a malfunction just before the finish line.
Photo by Mark Rebilas
Although he remains winless on the season, Torrence will move on to Seattle, Wash., for this week’s 34th Flav-R-Pac Northwest Nationals, the second leg of the grueling Western Swing, still in second place in Top Fuel points.
When qualifying begins this Friday, he will trail Ashley by 54 points with just five races remaining before totals are adjusted for the start of the NHRA’s six-race Countdown to the Championship.
As a semifinalist in a Mile-High Nationals event he had won in two of his last three starts, Torrence earned a rematch with Kalitta in this week’s Mission Foods 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge portion of the Flav-R-Pac Nationals.
“These bad-to-the-bone CAPCO boys gave me an awesome car and I was able to do my job a little bit,” Torrence said, referencing his .046 of a second reaction time against Kalitta. “That was a great drag race. We just wound up on the wrong end. It was a real boost to get past Justin and Antron. We’ll try to build on that at Seattle.”
43rd Dodge Mile-High Nationals
FINAL ROUND RESULTS
Top Fuel – Clay Millican, Parts Plus dragster, 3.872, 299.60 mph, def. Doug Kalitta, MAC Tools dragster, 4.454, 211.23 mph.
Funny Car – Matt Hagan, Direct Connection Dodge Charger, 4.135, 304.25 mph, def. Alexis DeJoria, Bandero Tequila Toyota Supra, 4.217, 251.34 mph.
Pro Stock – Troy Coughlin Jr., JEG’s Chevy Camaro, 6.933, 196.64 mph, def. Dallas Glenn, RAD Torque Systems Chevy Camaro, 6.949, 195.62 mph.
NHRA CAMPING WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
TOP FUEL
(After 10 of 15 events leading up to the Countdown to the Championship)
1. Justin Ashley, Farmingdale, N.Y., Phillips Connect dragster 758
2. Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, CAPCO Contractors dragster 704
3. Leah Pruett, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Dodge Direct Connection dragster 653
4. Brittany Force, Aberdeen, N.C., Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac dragster 632
5. Austin Prock, Pittsboro, Ind., Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster 619
6. Antron Brown, Pittsboro, Ind., Matco Tools dragster 591
7. Mike Salinas, San Jose, Calif., Scrappers Racing dragster 560
8. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers dragster 539
9. Doug Kalitta, Saline, Mich., MAC Tools/Toyota dragster 547
10. Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster 490
11. Shawn Langdon, Danville, Ind., Sealmaster dragster 470
12. Tony Schumacher, Lakeway, Texas, SCAG Equipment dragster 421
Next Scheduled CAMPING WORLD TOUR Event:
34th FLAV-R-PAC Northwest Nationals
July 21-23, 2023
Pacific Raceways
Seattle, Wash.
FINAL ROUND RESULTS
Top Fuel – Clay Millican, Parts Plus dragster, 3.872, 299.60 mph, def. Doug Kalitta, MAC Tools dragster, 4.454, 211.23 mph.
Funny Car – Matt Hagan, Direct Connection Dodge Charger, 4.135, 304.25 mph, def. Alexis DeJoria, Bandero Tequila Toyota Supra, 4.217, 251.34 mph.
Pro Stock – Troy Coughlin Jr., JEG’s Chevy Camaro, 6.933, 196.64 mph, def. Dallas Glenn, RAD Torque Systems Chevy Camaro, 6.949, 195.62 mph.
NHRA CAMPING WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
TOP FUEL
(After 10 of 15 events leading up to the Countdown to the Championship)
1. Justin Ashley, Farmingdale, N.Y., Phillips Connect dragster 758
2. Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, CAPCO Contractors dragster 704
3. Leah Pruett, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Dodge Direct Connection dragster 653
4. Brittany Force, Aberdeen, N.C., Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac dragster 632
5. Austin Prock, Pittsboro, Ind., Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster 619
6. Antron Brown, Pittsboro, Ind., Matco Tools dragster 591
7. Mike Salinas, San Jose, Calif., Scrappers Racing dragster 560
8. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers dragster 539
9. Doug Kalitta, Saline, Mich., MAC Tools/Toyota dragster 547
10. Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster 490
11. Shawn Langdon, Danville, Ind., Sealmaster dragster 470
12. Tony Schumacher, Lakeway, Texas, SCAG Equipment dragster 421
Next Scheduled CAMPING WORLD TOUR Event:
34th FLAV-R-PAC Northwest Nationals
July 21-23, 2023
Pacific Raceways
Seattle, Wash.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands, and directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America (more than 39,000 of them in the U.S.). Over the past 65 years, Toyota has assembled nearly 45 million cars and trucks in North America at the company’s 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, the company’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.
Through our more than 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.), Toyota sold more than 2.4 million cars and trucks (more than 2.1 million in the U.S.) in 2022, of which, nearly one quarter were electrified vehicles (full battery, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell).
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.
