LAS VEGAS – There is a Torrence who has the most wins thus far in the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, but it’s not the same Torrence as the one who clinched the Top Fuel world title a year ago in Las Vegas.
It’s the elder Torrence, Billy, who has already racked up two playoff wins heading to this weekend’s Dodge NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil, which takes place Oct. 31-Nov. 3 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
His son, Steve, remains the Top Fuel points leader and the defending event and world champion, but Billy Torrence is closing fast thanks to the pair of playoff victories in his 11,000-horsepower Capco Contractors dragster.
That puts him in fourth place in points, 71 points back of his son, setting up a potential must-see father-son duel down the stretch.
For now, though, Billy Torrence is simply hoping to keep his hot streak going and pick up his first career win in Las Vegas, the location of the penultimate race during the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.
“We’re just going to go out there and hopefully continue to do a good job,” Billy Torrence said. “We’ll go out there and race and support each other. We’re going to try to do the very best we can and that’s what we’ll be doing. I’ve been able to beat Steve a couple times, but he’s difficult to deal with and I probably couldn’t beat Steve often.”
Las Vegas is the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship, and the 23rd of 24 events this year. For Billy Torrence, it’s been a season he couldn’t have imagined.
After picking up his first career Top Fuel win a year ago, he’s put together four victories in 2019, including playoff wins in St. Louis and Dallas. The St. Louis victory included a final-round win against his son, but Steve Torrence has enjoyed a remarkable season as well.
Steve has nine wins this season, and the Torrence family has won an incredible 13 of 22 events thus far.
One way or another, the goal is to keep that impressive streak going in Vegas.
“I do have a clone of the winningest car on the planet, so I’m expected to do well,” Billy Torrence said. “It has been very humbling, and we have been fortunate and blessed to have this kind of success. We’ve got a great group of guys on both cars and they do a great job of working together. (Our success) is just a testament to the work the Capco guys do. We’re having a stellar season and it’s difficult to achieve that. It’s grueling.
“These guys just work very hard and they’re very dedicated. I get to come out, and just show up and race.”
But now a world title has entered the equation heading towards a thrilling weekend in Las Vegas. Doug Kalitta is just 33 points out of first, while Brittany Force remains in contention for her second world title, only 46 points from the top spot.
Billy Torrence helped the family cause by winning in Dallas, knocking off Force in the semifinals after Steve fell in the first round, but he knows nothing will come easy this weekend.
“Originally, I was out here for a (research and development) car and that’s what they primarily do with it,” Torrence said. “They’ll try different things with it and if it works we’ll use it with both cars. But when Steve went out (in the first round in Dallas), it was our chance to help him out.
“All of these people (in Top Fuel) are all pretty close, so it should be interesting.”