After struggling on a 144-degree track surface last week at Richmond, Va., reputedly the hottest ever for a NHRA Mission Foods tour event, Steve Torrence is back on concrete this week hoping a literal cool down is enough to figuratively heat up his bid for a fifth Top Fuel World Championship.
Winless on the season, the driver of the CAPCO Contractors Top Fuel Toyota is encouraged not only by a cooler forecast, but by the exceptional record he and his CAPCO boys have forged in the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals, contested this week for the 17th time at Summit Motorsports Park.
The newest member of the 500 Club, reserved for pro drivers who have won at least that many competitive rounds, Torrence has raised the Summit trophy in three of his last six appearances, most recently in 2021.
“The Bader family does a great job here with the fireworks and ice cream and all the other little extras we don’t see everywhere we go,” he said, “but I’m hoping ‘Hoagie’ (crew chief Richard Hogan) and Bobby (Lagana Jr.) and these CAPCO boys can make their own fireworks this week and get us another ice cream scoop (a race winner’s award unique to SMP).”
Currently fourth in the driver standings with five races remaining before the NHRA adjusts the points for the Countdown to the Championship, the 41-year-old Texan is anxious to go back to work in conditions projected to be more favorable for 12,000 horsepower hybrids.
“Racing on a hot track like (Richmond) is the same for everybody, but it’s not fun for anybody,” he said. “That kind of heat is crazy. It’s tough on the crews, the drivers, the fans, officials, but it’s part of the deal; just not a part I prefer.”
Qualifying for the Summit Nationals will consist of two sessions on Friday and two more on Saturday. Friday sessions are at 5 and 7:30 p.m., Texas time. On Saturday, sessions are at 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m., Texas time. Racing begins Sunday at 10 a.m., Texas time.
This story was originally published on June 26, 2024. 
