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For Immediate Release
Contact: Dave Densmore, denswood@aol.com / 214-244-0008, mobile

 

TORRENCE OUT EARLY AT VEGAS IN TOYOTA NATIONALS
Billy Torrence Reaches Semifinals in Second Capco Contractors Dragster

November 2, 2014 --Steve Torrence won’t win the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel Championship this year, but the 31-year-old Texan left The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway following Sunday’s 14th annual Toyota Nationals content in the knowledge that he has a race car and a team capable of doing so in 2015.

            Moving forward, he also knows he has a teammate on whom he can depend for more than just data.

            Billy Torrence took the second Capco Contractors dragster all the way to the semifinals Sunday, beating likely world champion Tony Schumacher in the first round and probable Rookie-of-the-Year Richie Crampton in the quarterfinals.

            The Capco founder and CEO just missed reaching the final round when his 3.796 at 325.45 miles per hour lost to J.R. Todd’s 3.781 at 323.43 mph.  He earlier recorded career best numbers to the 1,000 foot distance at 3.769, 329.10 mph.

            Although Steve Torrence could not take advantage of his dad’s victory over Schumacher, he still will move on to Pomona, Calif., for the season-ending, 50th annual Auto Club Finals with a chance to lock down the best finish of his pro career.

            His first round loss to reigning series champ Shawn Langdon dropped him from third to sixth in points but when racing begins at Pomona, he’ll be just two rounds behind second place Spencer Massey in the most competitive points race in Top Fuel history.

            “Our goal now is to finish as high as we can,” Torrence said.  “Dad had a great day today.  He won here in the Super Comp car (in 2011) so this is turning into his favorite track. 

            “The big thing is we know we have two really good hot rods that will run with anybody out here and we’re going to Pomona with a lot of confidence,” said the four-time series winner and 2005 World Champion in the Top Alcohol Dragster class.

            “At the start of the year, everybody thinks they can win it all,” Torrence said, “but you come down to the last few races and you know there’s only gonna be one champion and this year it looks like it’ll be Tony again. 

            “For the rest of us, that’s just motivation for next year.”

 

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