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

 

TORRENCE DROPS CLOSE ONE TO SCHUMACHER
CAPCO Driver Moves Up to No. 8 in Mello Yello Points

August 2, 2015 -- Steve Torrence isn’t going to be the sixth Top Fuel driver to sweep the grueling three-race Western Swing, but the 32-year-old Texan looked every inch a title contender Sunday despite the fact that he dropped a narrow .011 of a second decision to Tony Schumacher in the second round of the 28th annual NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway.

After beating the seven-time series champion in the money round last week at Denver, Torrence came up just short in the rematch.  Nevertheless, he will move on to Seattle, Wash., for this week’s 28th Northwest Nationals having gained another position in the Mello Yello driver standings with just three races remaining before the field is set for the NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship.

Outside the Top 10 at the end of June and in real danger of missing the playoffs altogether, Torrence has gained a position in each of the last three races and will move on to Seattle in eighth place albeit just one point ahead of J.R. Todd and three ahead of Shawn Langdon.

“I hate to lose those,” Torrence said of his Sunday rematch with Schumacher.   “It was a helluva race, though.  When you can run the champ that close on consecutive weekends, you know you’ve got a fast hot rod.  We had another good weekend.  We went to the finish line (under full power) every run.

“We know we’ve got a Capco Contractors dragster that’ll hunt in the playoffs,” said the 2005 Top Alcohol Dragster World Champion.  “The big thing is we started the season as a 3.76 car and now we’re a 3.73 car.  We’ve picked it up and that’s what you gotta do against these guys.  If you just stand still, you’re gonna get run over.  You’ve gotta keep getting better and we’ve done that.”

Although he qualified No. 4 with a career best 3.732 second effort, Torrence was most pleased with his car’s performance in the heat where it made no run slower than 3.825 seconds and averaged 3.819 on five runs.

“That’s the kind of consistency we’re gonna need to make a run at this championship,” said the five-time tour winner.  “(Crew chief Richard) Hogan has a real good handle on everything right now and my guys are really pumped.  We came right off the mountain with an entirely different combination but we didn’t miss a beat.  We were right back in the middle of it.”

That’s where the veteran hopes to remain this week when the tour moves to Pacific Raceways for the final race in the Swing.

 

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