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Steve Torrence seeking bounce-back year in NHRA’s Top Fuel division

April 1, 2023

POMONA — By standards established by drag racer Steve Torrence, 2022 was an off year. He finished sixth in the NHRA’s Top Fuel division after winning an astounding four consecutive national titles from 2018 to ’21.

After two races on the 2023 NHRA circuit, he was back on top of the Top Fuel division – barely.

He now leads Mike Salinas by 11 points and hopes to increase that lead this weekend at the 63rd Winternationals being held at the newly renamed In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip.

The slim lead isn’t bad for someone who twice blew an engine during the season’s second event last weekend in Phoenix – once during qualifying and again in the elimination final, which enabled Salinas to claim the event title.

Torrence is hoping for fewer blown engines and more blow-out victories this year.

“We learned some things last year that we can build on,” Torrence said prior to making his lone qualifying run Friday. There are two qualifying runs Saturday, with Pro Stock qualifying scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m.

Sunday’s elimination finals begin at 11 a.m.

In Friday’s qualifying round before a sparse crowd on a picture-perfect day, Torrence covered the 1,000-foot distance in 3.737 seconds with a top speed of 331.36 mph. That put him in the fifth-seeded spot going into Saturday’s qualifying.

The No. 1 Top Fuel qualifier on Friday was last year’s national titleholder, Brittany Force. Her numbers were 3.712 seconds and 328.86.

The top qualifier in Funny Car was Cruz Pedregon at 3.665 seconds and 302.28 mph.

A Funny Car driver in the spotlight is Robert Hight, the defending Winternationals champion and a winner in Phoenix last weekend. Last year, Hight finished three points behind national champion Ron Capps.

Asked prior to his run Friday if there was a rivalry between him and Capps, Hight said, “The NHRA is trying to make it one, a big one. So, I guess there is.”

Hight qualified third on Friday at 3.892 seconds and 329.99 mph. Capps smoked his tires and qualified 15th.

Brittany Force was later asked if she has a rival in Top Fuel.

“Yeah, all of them,” she said.

Steve Torrence could be that rival down the road. He admits to being more mellow since becoming a father two years ago.

“I look at things differently now,” he said. “I have to make sure this little girl grows up to be a good person.”

“He is more responsible,” said his mother Kay.

Torrence is sponsored by Capco Contractors, the family’s pipeline company based in Texas. His traveling party includes wife Natalie (formerly Natalie Jahnke of Rancho Cucamonga) and their daughter Charli. Father Billy Torrence is sometimes part of the traveling party. He still competes part-time and will be back on the track by mid-season, according to Steve.

Steve also pointed out an interesting stat. Charli turns 2 on April 7, he turns 40 on April 17 and Kay and Billy also celebrate birthdays in April.

The Torrence gang hopes to be celebrating more than birthdays in April. One possibility is a Winternationals victory on April 2. It would be the 58th of Torrence’s NHRA career.

Orange County Register

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Steve Torrence seeking bounce-back year in NHRA’s Top Fuel division

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