Steve Torrence went from fifth in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series standings to nearly taking over the points lead in one fateful race.
The NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill., were kind to the four-time and defending Top Fuel champion as he fought his way back into title contention with a stunning victory in the third round of the six-race Countdown to the Championship.
Torrence is now second in the standings, 14 points behind Justin Ashley.
By this point in the season last year, Torrence had scored nine victories and was well on his way to wrapping up his fourth consecutive Top Fuel championship. But 2022 has unfolded quite differently for the driver of the Capco Contractors dragster.
“Really, not been our greatest season up to this point. But it feels like things may have turned around a little bit,” Torrence said. “Being able to capitalize on some of the things that transpired Sunday in St. Louis was huge for us, and we needed that.”
Torrence has been waiting for a breakout weekend all season long, but he strongly believes those who have already written him out of the championship conversation are selling the Capco team short. He looks back to 2017 as a marker for how “low” things can get, and comparatively, he feels he’s been far more successful this season.
“I wasn’t the driver that I am today, as far as mental fortitude and being able to deal with situations and get through them,” Torrence said.
At the Texas NHRA FallNationals five years ago, Torrence experienced a wild crash when the left-rear tire of his dragster went flat and threw him into the wall as the car went to pieces. While he walked away without a scratch and even took the round win, mental apprehensions from the wreck lingered the rest of the season.
“You’re not scared to drive one of these things, or we wouldn’t do it. It’s kinda like touching that electric fence 10 times in a row and that final time you touch it, it shocks you. There was a little bit of reservations I had in driving the car,” Torrence said. “And that probably cost us the championship.”
The tide changed for Torrence in 2018, as he opened the door to his era of dominance in NHRA.
Over the last four years, the 39-year-old has collected four Top Fuel titles and earned more than 35 event wins. Without a doubt, his mark has been made.
And he’s not finished.
“At the end of the day, I’ve accomplished more than I ever imagined that I would. I remember just wanting to win a round,” Torrence said. “To be the four-time reigning world champ, it’s surreal for me … This is three races left to win the championship and we’re in familiar territory.”
Torrence is in familiar territory in more ways than one, as the upcoming race at Texas Motorplex takes place just two hours from his residence in Kilgore, Texas. He’s also the defending winner of the FallNationals, and after a successful weekend in St. Louis, his hopes of going back-to-back are high.
Torrence remains the only driver in NHRA history to sweep all six races of the Countdown to the Championship (2018), and if that means anything, it means that he’s a master at withstanding the pressure to the very end.
With three races to go and competition levels intensifying, Torrence is in the perfect position to extend his four-year reign in Top Fuel.