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TORRENCE IN A MOOD TO CELEBRATE
Four-Time World Champ Aims for Fifth Win in Circle K 4Wide Nationals

April 26, 2023 -- In a month in which he already has had a lot to celebrate, four-time World Champion Steve Torrence hopes to add one more item this week when he drives his CAPCO Contractors Top Fuel Toyota in the 13th renewal of a drag racing original, the Circle K 4Wide Nationals at ZMax Dragway.

The just-turned 40-year-old Texan will roll his 11,000 horsepower dragster to the starting line for Friday’s first qualifying session as the Camping World point leader, a distinction that has been his after three of four races this year even though he has not yet hoisted the winner’s trophy.

Coming off a runner-up finish in a four-wide event two weeks ago at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he’ll be trying to extend his mastery of four-wide racing on an all-concrete surface on which he has been particularly successful the last seven years.

The only man ever to sweep the races in the NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship (2018), Torrence began the month toasting daughter Haven Charli’s second birthday (April 7) before celebrating his own special day on April 17 and Momma Kay’s one day later.  He and his team will start this weekend with a birthday party for dad Billy on Friday and hope to end it in the winners’ circle on Sunday.

That’s not an irrational scenario.  After all, the multi-talented Torrence won this race four of the last five times it was contested, four times straight, in fact, and prevailed in the fall race, the Carolina Nationals, in both 2018 and 2019. 

That said, he proved himself to be mortal a year ago when he failed to advance his Red Line Oil-protected hot rod out of the first quad for the first time in his last 12 four-wide starts.  As a result, he’ll return to the concrete on Friday as somewhat less of a prohibitive favorite than he was in years past.

“We’ve been close,” Torrence said of his failure to win in four tries this year, “but we haven’t put it all together on one weekend.  We’re No. 1 in points, though, and that tells you something about these CAPCO Boys.  As a driver, that’s what keeps you on your game, knowing that every week you’ve got a car that’s capable of winning the whole thing.  You just have to keep at it and trust the process.

“More drivers are figuring out the four-wide,” Torrence continued.  “It can be confusing.  I’ve been there.  My advantage is these guys behind me.  Richard Hogan and Bobby Lagana and the rest of the CAPCO boys.  They’re the best at adjusting to whatever’s happening on the track, whether there’s two lanes or four.  If I do my job, we always have a chance to win.”

Drivers will benefit from four qualifying sessions at ZMax, making one run in each lane.  Friday’s first nitro session is slated for 3:45 p.m., Texas time, with a second session at 6:45 p.m.  On Saturday, nitro cars will qualify at 12:15 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.  Racing will begin at 11 a.m., Texas time, on Sunday.

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