FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TORRENCE WINS ANOTHER 4-WIDE RACE
Reigning NHRA Champion Beats Kalitta in DENSO Nationals at Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – On a Sunday full of surprises at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Steve Torrence’s Top Fuel victory in the DENSO Spark Plugs Four-Wide Nationals certainly was not one of them.
With recovering crew member Dom Lagana watching from the starting line, the three-time reigning NHRA Top Fuel champion coupled a stellar .042 of a second reaction time to a 3.823 second track time that was just good enough to get him to the finish ahead of Doug Kalitta, Clay Millican and Antron Brown.
FINAL QUAD RESULTS
Top Fuel – Steve Torrence, Capco Contractors dragster, 3.823 seconds, 321.73 mph, def. Doug Kalitta, 3.866, 270.75 mph, Clay Millican, 3.914, 290.88 mph and Antron Brown, 4.728, 157.83 mph.
Funny Car – Bob Tasca III, 3.938, 328.40 mph, def. Matt Hagan, 3.955, 324.98 mph, Tim Wilkerson, 3.922, 320.43 mph, and Ron Capps, 3.978, 316.75 mph.
Pro Stock – Erica Enders, 6.656, 205.88 mph, def. Aaron Stanfield, 6.667, 205.26 mph, Deric Kramer, 6.659, 205.57 mph, and Mason McGaha, 6.698, 201.70 mph.
Those four were left to duke it out after national record holder Brittany Force, the No. 1 qualifier, was bounced out of competition in the second quad after posting quick time and top speed of the event to start eliminations. On a strange day in the desert, none of the four No. 1 pro qualifiers made it into the final quad. Torrence was the only No. 2 qualifier to do so.
It was the fifth win in the last six four-wide races for the Capco Contractors team and it proved to be a perfect birthday present not only for the champ, who turned 38 on Saturday, but also for team owner “Momma Kay” Torrence, who turned 60 on Sunday. In addition, it was Torrence’s first win since wife Natalie gave birth to daughter Haven Charli on April 7.
“My first race as a dad, my mother’s birthday and Dom up on the starting line for the final,” Torrence said. “I knew I had to get something done. At this point it my career, I think I do better in high pressure sutuations and that one was pretty high pressure, personally.”
Significantly, Torrence’s 41st pro tour victory propelled him into a familiar position atop the NHRA Camping World driver standings two races into the season. When racing begins May 1 in the Lucas Oil Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, he will start 21 points ahead of Kalitta with whom he has battled for the last three seasons.
It was a gratifying rebound after a second round exit in the season-opening Amalie Gatornationals last month at Gainesville, Fla.
“We had a really good race car in Gainesville,” Torrence said, “but we went out and just overestimated what the track would take and smoked the tires (lost traction). So much has transpired since then. Dom (who is recovering from injuries suffered in a non-racing accident and learning to use prosthetics) is walking even better than he was in Gainesville and being a new dad, I’m just very blessed.”
It was the second win for the Capco team in the DENSO Four-Wide in which it also prevailed in 2019.
NHRA CAMPING WORLD TOUR Championship Points
(After two of 21 scheduled events)
TOP FUEL
1. Steve Torrence, Capco Contractors dragster184
2. Doug Kalitta, Mac Tools dragster163
3 Shawn Langdon, DHL/Kalitta Air dragster 149
4. Antron Brown, Matco Tools dragster145
5. Billy Torrence, Capco Contractors dragster118
6. Josh Hart, Burnyzz/Technet dragster113
7. Clay Millican, Parts Plus dragster110
8. Leah Pruett, MOPAR/Pennzoil/Okuma dragster105
9. Justin Ashley, Strutmasters/GuardLab dragster104
10. Brittany Force, FLAV-R-PAC/ Monster Energy dragster 99
* * * *
CAPCO CONTRACTORS race summary
21st DENSO Spark Plugs Nationals (third time in four-wide format)
Qualifying – Steve Torrence, No. 2 at 3.741 seconds, 328.94 miles per hour.
Qualifying bonus points – 3 for quick time in Q1.
Quad 1 – S. Torrence,3.756, 32.14 mph, and Leah Pruett, 3.808, 315.27 mph, def. Greg Carrillo,
4.107, 23.21 mph, and Cameron Ferre, 4.143, 225.97 mph.
Quad 2 – S. Torrence, 3.773, 322.04 mph, and Doug Kalitta, 3.768, 325.22 mph, def. Shawn
Langdon, 8.558, 88.61 mph, and Pruett, 10.921, 55.03 mph.
FINAL Quad – Steve Torrence, 3.823, 321.73 mph, def. Doug Kalitta, 3.866, 270.75 mph, Clay
Millican, 3.914, 290.88 mph, and Antron Brown, 4.728, 157.83 mph.
CAPCO CONTRACTORS race summary (continued)
Qualifying – Billy Torrence, No. 5 at 3.769 seconds, 326.56 miles per hour
Qualifying bonus points: 2 for second quick time in Q2
Quad 1 –Clay Millican, 3.758, 326.16 mph, and Billy Torrence, 3.765, 330.47 mph, def. Jim
Maroney, 4.201, 223.17 mph, and Todd Paton, no time.
Quad 2 – Antron Brown, 3.761, 316.23 mph, and Millican, 3.816, 320.13 mph, def. Brittany Force,
3.815, 315.27 mph, and B. Torrence, no time.
* * * *
Next Scheduled CAMPING WORLD TOUR Event:
38th and final Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals
May 2, 2021
Atlanta Dragway
Atlanta, Ga.
-www.torrenceracing.com-
TORRENCE WINS ANOTHER 4-WIDE RACE
Reigning NHRA Champion Beats Kalitta in DENSO Nationals at Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – On a Sunday full of surprises at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Steve Torrence’s Top Fuel victory in the DENSO Spark Plugs Four-Wide Nationals certainly was not one of them.
With recovering crew member Dom Lagana watching from the starting line, the three-time reigning NHRA Top Fuel champion coupled a stellar .042 of a second reaction time to a 3.823 second track time that was just good enough to get him to the finish ahead of Doug Kalitta, Clay Millican and Antron Brown.
FINAL QUAD RESULTS
Top Fuel – Steve Torrence, Capco Contractors dragster, 3.823 seconds, 321.73 mph, def. Doug Kalitta, 3.866, 270.75 mph, Clay Millican, 3.914, 290.88 mph and Antron Brown, 4.728, 157.83 mph.
Funny Car – Bob Tasca III, 3.938, 328.40 mph, def. Matt Hagan, 3.955, 324.98 mph, Tim Wilkerson, 3.922, 320.43 mph, and Ron Capps, 3.978, 316.75 mph.
Pro Stock – Erica Enders, 6.656, 205.88 mph, def. Aaron Stanfield, 6.667, 205.26 mph, Deric Kramer, 6.659, 205.57 mph, and Mason McGaha, 6.698, 201.70 mph.
Those four were left to duke it out after national record holder Brittany Force, the No. 1 qualifier, was bounced out of competition in the second quad after posting quick time and top speed of the event to start eliminations. On a strange day in the desert, none of the four No. 1 pro qualifiers made it into the final quad. Torrence was the only No. 2 qualifier to do so.
It was the fifth win in the last six four-wide races for the Capco Contractors team and it proved to be a perfect birthday present not only for the champ, who turned 38 on Saturday, but also for team owner “Momma Kay” Torrence, who turned 60 on Sunday. In addition, it was Torrence’s first win since wife Natalie gave birth to daughter Haven Charli on April 7.
“My first race as a dad, my mother’s birthday and Dom up on the starting line for the final,” Torrence said. “I knew I had to get something done. At this point it my career, I think I do better in high pressure sutuations and that one was pretty high pressure, personally.”
Significantly, Torrence’s 41st pro tour victory propelled him into a familiar position atop the NHRA Camping World driver standings two races into the season. When racing begins May 1 in the Lucas Oil Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, he will start 21 points ahead of Kalitta with whom he has battled for the last three seasons.
It was a gratifying rebound after a second round exit in the season-opening Amalie Gatornationals last month at Gainesville, Fla.
“We had a really good race car in Gainesville,” Torrence said, “but we went out and just overestimated what the track would take and smoked the tires (lost traction). So much has transpired since then. Dom (who is recovering from injuries suffered in a non-racing accident and learning to use prosthetics) is walking even better than he was in Gainesville and being a new dad, I’m just very blessed.”
It was the second win for the Capco team in the DENSO Four-Wide in which it also prevailed in 2019.
NHRA CAMPING WORLD TOUR Championship Points
(After two of 21 scheduled events)
TOP FUEL
1. Steve Torrence, Capco Contractors dragster184
2. Doug Kalitta, Mac Tools dragster163
3 Shawn Langdon, DHL/Kalitta Air dragster 149
4. Antron Brown, Matco Tools dragster145
5. Billy Torrence, Capco Contractors dragster118
6. Josh Hart, Burnyzz/Technet dragster113
7. Clay Millican, Parts Plus dragster110
8. Leah Pruett, MOPAR/Pennzoil/Okuma dragster105
9. Justin Ashley, Strutmasters/GuardLab dragster104
10. Brittany Force, FLAV-R-PAC/ Monster Energy dragster 99
* * * *
CAPCO CONTRACTORS race summary
21st DENSO Spark Plugs Nationals (third time in four-wide format)
Qualifying – Steve Torrence, No. 2 at 3.741 seconds, 328.94 miles per hour.
Qualifying bonus points – 3 for quick time in Q1.
Quad 1 – S. Torrence,3.756, 32.14 mph, and Leah Pruett, 3.808, 315.27 mph, def. Greg Carrillo,
4.107, 23.21 mph, and Cameron Ferre, 4.143, 225.97 mph.
Quad 2 – S. Torrence, 3.773, 322.04 mph, and Doug Kalitta, 3.768, 325.22 mph, def. Shawn
Langdon, 8.558, 88.61 mph, and Pruett, 10.921, 55.03 mph.
FINAL Quad – Steve Torrence, 3.823, 321.73 mph, def. Doug Kalitta, 3.866, 270.75 mph, Clay
Millican, 3.914, 290.88 mph, and Antron Brown, 4.728, 157.83 mph.
CAPCO CONTRACTORS race summary (continued)
Qualifying – Billy Torrence, No. 5 at 3.769 seconds, 326.56 miles per hour
Qualifying bonus points: 2 for second quick time in Q2
Quad 1 –Clay Millican, 3.758, 326.16 mph, and Billy Torrence, 3.765, 330.47 mph, def. Jim
Maroney, 4.201, 223.17 mph, and Todd Paton, no time.
Quad 2 – Antron Brown, 3.761, 316.23 mph, and Millican, 3.816, 320.13 mph, def. Brittany Force,
3.815, 315.27 mph, and B. Torrence, no time.
* * * *
Next Scheduled CAMPING WORLD TOUR Event:
38th and final Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals
May 2, 2021
Atlanta Dragway
Atlanta, Ga.
-www.torrenceracing.com-
