NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

With a successful qualifying effort at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals, three-time and reigning Top Fuel world champ Steve Torrence has become the first driver to officially clinch a berth in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship.

Torrence qualified his Capco Contractors dragster No. 2 at Sonoma Raceway, earning him enough a total of 898 points, enough to assure that he cannot be bumped from the field of 10 top points earners who will make up the bulk of the Countdown field, which this year will also include any drivers who have made a minimum of two qualifying runs at every NHRA Camping World Series national event.

Torrence already has five wins in the eight events this season and an additional runner-up, accumulating an impressive 24-3 win-loss record this season. Torrence’s accomplishment will be saluted at the conclusion of his first-round race Sunday.

After the Sonoma event, just four races remain for drivers to solidify or gain a spot in the Countdown field that will lead into the seven-race Countdown to the Championship that begins Sept. 9 at the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals Presented By Pennzoil in Reading, Pa., and concludes in mid-November at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif.