It may come as a surprise to hear a four-time Top Fuel champion has worries heading into a new season, but that’s simply where the bar has been set in NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series competition.
Steve Torrence has been driving a dragster professionally since 2006, but he’s best known for his four-year title reign that stretched from 2018 to 2021. With such a dominant run, it was hard not to expect Torrence to extend his streak and go five-in-a-row last year.
However, that was far from the case.
It took six months and 15 rounds of competition for Torrence to secure a victory — which came at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., on Aug. 21. — with his Capco Racing/Torrence Motorsports team.
He also won the Pep Boys Top Fuel All-Star Callout, a specialty non-points race that was held during the U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend, and another at the NHRA Midwest Nationals during the six-race Countdown to the Championship. Compared to 2021 when he scored 11 victories, two Wallys and three trips to the winner’s circle weren’t quite what Torrence had in mind for his 16th Top Fuel season.
He finished the season sixth in the standings, while Brittany Force earned five wins and clinched her second Top Fuel title. The Texas native has been exercising caution when it comes to proclaiming goals for the upcoming season, keenly aware his opponents have grown in strength and numbers while he’s been working to push his operation to their level.
“We just trying to build on what we were doing last year and trying to get the car back into competition like it has been in years past,” Torrence said.
With less than a week to go before the season-opening AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Florida’s Gainesville Raceway, Torrence modestly reported his preseason test session was “mediocre” and “things went OK.”
But the downplay needn’t be a cause for concern.
The 39-year-old remains fueled with the promise of a second chance, his target locked on collecting title No. 5.
“You’ve got to have a really short memory and focus on the task at hand. Last year was terrible, Brittany [Force] kicked our butts from start to finish,” Torrence said. “But now it’s our turn to try and go take it back.”
Combined with a fresh desire for championship glory, the four-time champ also feels more equipped for the 21-race season than he did last year. With his core “Capco boys” crew intact and increased faith in his dragster, Torrence hopes to come out swinging at the Gatornationals.
“We definitely made wholesale changes in 2022, trying to better the machine. Ultimately, I think we’re there, but I just think it took a lot of time to get there and more time than we anticipated,” Torrence said. “As far as strategy for racing, it’s just to go out there, win as many as possible and let the points count themselves.”
Keyword: Torrence Is Ready To Take The Top Fuel Title Back