ENNIS, Texas — Steve Torrence has used one philosophy to his advantage during his breakout season in NHRA Top Fuel competition and it has worked to perfection for the Kilgore, Texas native.
Torrence is determined to keep his focus centered in the moment and not start looking too far ahead.
He claimed three victories in five final round appearances, earned two No. 1 qualifying positions and finished the 17-race NHRA Full Throttle Series regular season fourth in the points standings. He’s hoping for a similar performance in the six-race Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
“Our approach to the Countdown is the same one we’ve used all year,” he said. “We won three races and were runners-up twice with it. We would definitely be in championship contention if we could do the same thing in the final (five) races. We want to maintain our consistency and momentum and take everything one race at a time.”
Torrence will try to earn his first playoff victory at the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals, Sept. 20-23, at the legendary Texas Motorplex. Defending winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event are Bob Vandergriff (Top Fuel), Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Michael Phillips (Pro Stock Motorcycle). The race, which is the second of six playoff races in the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, will be televised on ESPN2HD.
Torrence, whose home is just up the road from the Motorplex, is excited about having the chance to grab a victory in front of his family and friends.
“The second race of the Countdown is going to be very important for us . . . heck, they all are if you want to win the championship,” Torrence said. “But this one is very, very special because the Motorplex is my home track and we want to do well there. It’s where I started racing.”
A first round loss in the playoff opener in Charlotte has pushed Torrence to eighth in the standings, but there is plenty of time for the driver of the Capco Contractors dragster to make a rebound. He hopes the home track advantage works in his favor.
“It’s really cool to be contending for the championship and having one of the Countdown races there,” Torrence said. “We are looking forward to it because we will have a lot of Capco people, friends and fans there supporting us.”
As a former NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series national champion in Top Alcohol Dragster, Torrence has competed plenty of times at the Texas Motorplex and is looking forward to racing there with so much on the line in the Full Throttle Series.
“I have a lot of good memories of racing at the Motorplex and I hope to add another one this time,” Torrence said. “The best one so far is when I clinched the 2005 Top Alcohol Dragster championship there. That was a big thrill.”
If Torrence is going to win the title, he’ll have to hold off points leader Tony Schumacher, a five-time winner at the Motorplex and a seven-time world champion. Other challengers include playoff top seed Antron Brown, Texas natives Spencer Massey and Brandon Bernstein, three-time season winner Morgan Lucas and Charlotte winner Shawn Langdon.
In Funny Car, Ron Capps is leading the way in his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger with a win at Charlotte and is being challenged by a host of talented Countdown contenders, including Mike Neff, Jack Beckman, Auto Club Ford Mustang driver Robert Hight, 24-year-old rookie Courtney Force, defending winner Pedregon and seven-time Motorplex winner John Force.
In the 200-mph Pro Stock class, Tennessee Mopar driver Allen Johnson continues to be at the top of the standings, but his lead is only three points over defending event winner Line. Charlotte top qualifier Vincent Nobile has emerged as a title threat, along with three-time season winner Erica Enders, from Houston. You can never count out past champs Greg Anderson, Mike Edwards and Jeg Coughlin.
Andrew Hines has the Countdown momentum in Pro Stock Motorcycle after winning the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals and the playoff opener in Charlotte. His Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammate Eddie Krawiec continues to lead the points standings after posting a runner-up finish at Charlotte. Together they have won all 11 bike races this season, with Krawiec taking six and Hines five. Other challengers in the two-wheel category are the Lucas Oil Buell team of Hector Arana Jr. and Hector Arana Sr., GEICO Suzuki rider Karen Stoffer and past world champs LE Tonglet and Matt Smith.
* SCHEDULE: Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 2 and 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 21, and 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22. Final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 23.
* TICKETS: For tickets for the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals please call (800) MOTORPLEX (668-6775) or log on to www.texasmotorplex.com.
* ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise 90 minutes qualifying coverage at 10:30 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, Sept. 22, and three hours of eliminations coverage at 8:30 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Sept. 23.
* LUCAS OIL SERIES: The AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals will feature competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, where the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series are born. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 10 a.m. on Sept. 20, and eliminations begin at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 21 and continue through Sept. 23.
* ON THE WEB: Get live timing, scoring, multimedia and the latest news updates from every NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event on the Internet at www.nhra.com. Visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
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AAA TEXAS NHRA FALL NATIONALS FACT SHEET
WHAT: 27th annual AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals, 19th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and the second of six playoff races in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship. The top 10 drivers in four categories - Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle - earn points leading to 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world championships. The NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootout for Funny Car also will be contested at this event. In 2012, NHRA is celebrating Nitro Generation, honoring all the generations of fans, drivers, and teams that have shared their passion for the sport and made NHRA the world’s largest motorsports sanctioning body.
WHERE: Texas Motorplex, 7500 W. Hwy. 287, Ennis, Texas. Follow I-45 or I-35E to Hwy 287, then follow 287 to the track.
WHEN: Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 20-23.
SCHEDULE:
THURSDAY, Sept. 20 - LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying at 10 a.m.
FRIDAY, Sept. 21 - LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations at 8:30 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
SATURDAY, Sept. 22 - LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations begin at 8 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
TRAXXAS NITRO SHOOTOUT for Funny Car at 12:45 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.
SUNDAY, Sept. 23 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10:15 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, Sept. 22, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise 90 minutes of qualifying highlights at 10:30 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, Sept. 23, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of race eliminations at 8:30 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE (Digital HD feed):
Friday, Sept. 21, 9:30 - 10 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 19C
Saturday, Sept. 22, 7:30 - 8 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 19C
Sunday, Sept. 23, 7:30 - 8 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 19C
4080 MHz, horizontal; Data Rate: 40.461470554 Mbp; Symbol Rate: 29.27 Ms; FEC: ¾; Bandwidth: 36 Mhz)
Video news release contains race action highlights each day and winners’ interviews on Sunday.
2011 EVENT WINNERS: Bob Vandergriff Jr., Top Fuel; Cruz Pedregon, Funny Car; Jason Line, Pro Stock; Michael Phillips, Pro Stock Motorcycle.
MOST VICTORIES: John Force, FC, 7; Tony Schumacher, TF, 5; Warren Johnson, PS, 5; Greg Anderson, PS, 4.
TRACK RECORDS:
Top Fuel - 3.784 seconds by Brandon Bernstein, Sept. ’10; 324.05 mph by Spencer Massey, Sept. ’11
Funny Car - 4.062 seconds by Matt Hagan, Sept. ’10; 309.63 mph by Jack Beckman, Sept. ’11
Pro Stock - 6.553 seconds by Jason Line, Sept. ’11; 211.20 mph by Allen Johnson, Sept. ’11
Pro Stock Motorcycle - 6.828 seconds by Hector Arana Jr., Sept. ’11; 197.22 mph by Michael Phillips, Sept. ’11
NATIONAL RECORDS:
Top Fuel - 3.735 sec. by Del Worsham, Oct. ’11, Reading, Pa.; 332.18 mph by Spencer Massey, April ’12, Charlotte, N.C.
Funny Car - 3.995 sec. by Matt Hagan, Sept. ’11, Charlotte, N.C.; 318.99 mph by Jack Beckman, Sept. ’11, Charlotte, N.C.
Pro Stock - 6.477 sec. by Jason Line, Oct. ’11, Reading, Pa.; 213.91 mph by Jason Line, April ’12, Charlotte, N.C.
PS Motorcycle - 6.750 sec. by Eddie Krawiec, March ’12, Gainesville, Fla.; 199.26 mph by Eddie Krawiec, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.
TICKETS: For tickets call (800) MOTORPLEX (668-6775). Tickets also are available at texasmotorplex.com.
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NHRA FULL THROTTLE COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS
GLENDORA, Calif. -- Point standings (top 10) following the first of six races in the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, NHRA's playoffs -
Top Fuel: 1. Tony Schumacher, 2,170; 2. Spencer Massey, 2,160; 3. Shawn Langdon, 2,151; 4. Antron Brown, 2,142; 5. Doug Kalitta, 2,105; 6. Morgan Lucas, 2,099; 7. Brandon Bernstein, 2,095; 8. Steve Torrence, 2,093; 9. Bob Vandergriff, 2,053; 10. David Grubnic, 2,043.
Funny Car: 1. Ron Capps, 2,230; 2. Mike Neff, 2,157; 3. Jack Beckman, 2,152; 4. Robert Hight, 2,113; 5. Cruz Pedregon, 2,087; 6. Johnny Gray, 2,081; 7. Courtney Force, 2,074; 8. John Force, 2,072; 9. (tie) Jeff Arend, 2,064; Tim Wilkerson, 2,064.
Pro Stock: 1. Allen Johnson, 2,209; 2. Jason Line, 2,206; 3. Vincent Nobile, 2,138; 4. Greg Anderson, 2,107; 5. (tie) Mike Edwards, 2,094; Erica Enders, 2,094; 7. Ron Krisher, 2,063; 8. Larry Morgan, 2,062; 9. V. Gaines, 2,052; 10. Jeg Coughlin, 2,031.
Pro Stock Motorcycle: 1. Eddie Krawiec, 2,215; 2. Andrew Hines, 2,205; 3. Hector Arana Jr, 2,151; 4. Hector Arana, 2,139; 5. Scotty Pollacheck, 2,092; 6. Karen Stoffer, 2,083; 7. Michael Ray, 2,074; 8. Shawn Gann, 2,062; 9. LE Tonglet, 2,061; 10. Matt Smith, 2,054.
