Steve Torrence wins NHRA Finals and season title in Top Fuel in Pomona

POMONA – On a time of a fig of upsets Sunday astatine the NHRA Finals astatine the Auto Club Raceway successful Pomona, signifier followed arsenic Top Fuel resistance racer Steve Torrence archetypal wrapped up his 4th consecutive play title successful the archetypal elimination round. Then, astatine the extremity of the day, helium capped disconnected his play by defeating Antron Brown to assertion the lawsuit rubric arsenic well.

Torrence needed six points to clinch the play rubric and helium got 30 with a first-round triumph implicit Brandon Welch. Actually, helium didn’t adjacent request to triumph that contention since his closest competitor, Brittany Force, was beaten successful the archetypal circular by Torrence’s begetter Billy.

That near astir of the day’s play to the Funny Car competition, which got absorbing aft Matt Hagan bushed points person Ron Capps successful the 2nd circular of eliminations. Capps’ car veered to the close and helium mislaid by .047 of a second.

“We mislaid a cylinder connected the close side, and that’s astir 1,000 horsepower,” said Capps not agelong aft losing the contention portion relaxing successful his trailer. “If Matt goes connected to triumph it, past helium has earned it. It was inactive a large play for us.”

Capps request not person worried. Alexis DeJoria eliminated Hagan successful the adjacent round, giving Capps his 2nd NHRA play title. His archetypal came successful 2016.

DeJoria mislaid to Bob Tasca III successful the Funny Car lawsuit final. Tasca had an elapsed clip of 3.955 seconds and a apical velocity of 321.65 mph. DeJoria, who was closing astatine the finish, had a clip of 3.974 seconds and velocity of 322.58 mph.

In the Top Fuel final, Torrence’s clip was 3.759 and velocity was 317.12 mph, compared to 3.802 and 312.21 for Brown.

Greg Anderson won the play rubric and lawsuit rubric successful Pro Stock, and Matt Smith did the aforesaid successful Pro Stock Motorcycles.

When Capps realized helium had notched a play rubric aft witnessing DeJoria’s triumph implicit Hagan, helium was adjacent tears. “I’ve got to get backmost to my pit to celebrate,” helium said implicit the track’s P.A. system. Seeing specified earthy emotion provided a melodramatic moment.

But the astir melodramatic infinitesimal of the time was unintentionally provided by apical qualifier Mike Salinas successful the 2nd circular of the Top Fuel eliminations. Facing rookie Tripp Tatum, Salinas mislaid power coming disconnected the starting line. His dragster made crisp close turn, going wholly sideways. It crossed the centerline and went up connected 2 wheels, astir flipping. Salinas, amazingly, was capable to close the car, but this was a item that nary uncertainty volition beryllium viewed by galore much than conscionable those watching the FS1 coverage.

The biggest upset during Sunday’s archetypal circular was top-seeded Funny Car racer Robert Hight losing traction and falling to 16th seeded Jim Campbell of Huntington Beach. Sixth-seeded Cruz Pedregon besides had traction problems successful losing to Tim Wilkerson. In Top Fuel, third-seeded Leah Pruett had mechanical problems and mislaid to Cameron Ferre.

Torrence’s play rubric was worthy $300,000 and his lawsuit triumph was worthy $47,000. The prize money, according to a source, utilized to beryllium $500,000 for a play rubric and $50,000 for an lawsuit win. The reductions were owed to the pandemic throwing the NHRA docket into disarray aft the 2020 Winternationals successful February of 2020.

No substance the amount, resistance racing is simply a wealth loser to the Torrence family.

“You person to bash this for the emotion of the sport,” Torrence said anterior to Sunday. “It drains your money. It’s similar having a piggy slope with nary apical and a spread successful the bottom. The wealth goes close through.”

There is wealth to beryllium made successful nonrecreational resistance racing if you person a fewer large sponsors. But Torrence’s large sponsor, Capco Contractors, is the household business. Billy Torrence created the pipeline institution successful 1995. Based successful Kilgore, Texas, it serves a lawsuit basal done respective states.

Since the institution does not merchantability car parts oregon centrifugal oil, the attraction it gets does not straight bring successful money.

 “It brings the institution prestige and gives america a mode to entertain clients,” said Steve Torrence’s wife, the erstwhile Natalie Jahnke, a Rancho Cucamonga autochthonal who handles nationalist relations for the family’s racing team. Steve’s parent Kay handles the concern side.

Steve Torrence archetypal raced successful Top Fuel successful 2006 and began racing successful earnest successful 2010. Billy raced occasionally from 2013 done 2017. Since then, contempt inactive racing part-time, Billy Torrence is present a large player. There was a accidental Sunday that begetter and lad could conscionable successful the lawsuit final. But Billy mislaid to Antron Brown successful the 2nd round.

The Torrence men person squared disconnected 16 times, with Steve winning 12 of those races. They person met 4 times successful an lawsuit final, with Steve winning 3 of those.

They whitethorn not beryllium making the benignant of large wealth that is disposable successful different sports, but the household is doing okay. They instrumentality location contiguous successful the institution jet, a Phenom 300.

On Saturday, Steve Torrence said helium planned to instrumentality to his occupation astatine Capco arsenic soon arsenic helium got home. While celebrating connected Sunday, helium said helium whitethorn instrumentality the time off, a well-deserved time off.