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

 

TORRENCE FALLS TO SCHUMACHER AT SONOMA
Capco Contractors Driver Moves on to Seattle in Fifth Place in Points

July 27, 2014 -- Steve Torrence overcame his poorest qualifying performance of the year Sunday and took his Capco Contractors Top Fuel dragster to the quarterfinal round of the 27th annual NHRA Sonoma Nationals before losing to seven-time series champion Tony Schumacher.

            The 31-year-old Texan will move on to Seattle, Wash., for this week’s 27th O’Reilly Auto Parts Northwest Nationals solidly in fifth place in Mello Yello points with only three races remaining before the field is set for the NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship and the race for a $500,000 top prize.

            Torrence, who battled back from Hodgkins lymphoma to win the 2005 NHRA World Championship in the Top Alcohol Dragster division, qualified only 11th after he was forced to abort his Friday run in the weekend’s best conditions because of a mechanical issue.

            That sent the Kilgore College graduate into Sunday’s first round without the lane choice option against No. 6 qualifier Bob Vandergriff Jr.  Nevertheless, he was able to make his best run of the weekend on a hot Sonoma Raceway track, covering the 1,000 feet in 3.818 seconds at 323.89 miles per hour.

            That got the four-time Mello Yello tour winner to the second round.  Unfortunately, it didn’t get him lane choice against Schumacher and, relegated to the least favored lane for the second time, he suffered a loss of traction that slowed him to 5.226 seconds at only 140.66 mph.

            “Not what we wanted, obviously,” Torrence said.  “We made three good runs in qualifying (3.898, 3.909 and 3.905) and a great run in the first round but, because we didn’t get down there on Friday night, when it was cool, we got behind and we never caught up.”

            It was an even shorter day for Steve’s dad, Billy Torrence, who probably deserved a better fate than a first round loss.  After qualifying ninth in the second Capco Contractors dragster, the elder Torrence improved on his qualifying time by .03 of a second only to lose to eventual race winner Khalid alBalooshi, who advanced thanks to the quickest time of the day at 3.775 seconds.

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