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For Immediate Release
Contact: Joe Sherk, jlsherk@aol.com/360-981-4806, mobile

 

TORRENCE A VERY CLOSE SECOND AS QUALIFYING BEGINS AT SONOMA

July 26, 2013 -- Startled by a mechanical problem Friday that prevented the Torrence Racing/Capco Contractors Inc. Top Fuel dragster from making its first qualifying run for Sunday’s NHRA Sonoma Nationals, Steve Torrence and crew chief Lee Beard shook it off.

They responded with a 3.766-second blast at 323.27 mph down the 1,000-foot Sonoma Raceway that lifted him into the provision lead.  But David Grubnic’s ensuing 3.765-second lap pushed Torrence into second place by just a mere one-thousandth of a second.

“We regrouped and came back after not getting that first run, and I am proud of our team,” commented Torrence.  “We knew we needed to put up good numbers and we were trying to go a 3.76 or 77.  The car ran really well.  We needed to be in that 3.7-second range.”

Beard said he shut off the motor when he discovered a supercharger idle-pully had seized and he had no other alternative.  “It would have caused a lot of damage to the motor if we’d gone down the track,” he predicted.

They will be prepared for Saturday’s last two runs.

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