NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

With three races left during the 2023 season in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, Steve Torrence is still very much alive in the Top Fuel championship chase. The four-time world champion trails Doug Kalitta by just 51 points heading into the final stretch of the Countdown to the Championship.
 
That final three-race span starts at this weekend’s 38th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex, which is the main event of the legendary track’s Stampede of Speed. It’s also a key race for Torrence for a multitude of reasons. It’s the home race for the Texas native, and it’s been a race filled with family and friends for the last several years.
 
Torrence has won in Dallas twice in his Capco Contractors dragster, and knowing the magnitude of the event as it fits into the NHRA playoffs picture, the veteran knows how big a win would be. Doing it in front of a massive amount of family and friends has always made it that much sweeter for Torrence, but it would also go a long way in helping him try to secure a fifth world championship.
 
“There’s always pros and cons to racing at home,” Torrence said. “The good thing is we’ll have a lot of friends, a lot of fans, and a lot of members of our Capco family out there supporting us. The downside is the distractions that come with all that. You can’t let all the extra attention keep you from doing what needs to be done. You have to prioritize, manage your time, and keep things in perspective, and that’s not always easy to do. That’s where these Capco boys give us the advantage. We’ve been down this road together a lot of times, and we know what it takes to win. We just have to focus and do what we do.”
  
Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock), and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) took home victories last season to close out the Stampe of Speed. This year’s race will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and marks the third of six events in the Countdown to the Championship, and the 19th of 21 races in 2023.
 
The action kicks off in a major way with "Friday Night Live,” as the quickest pass under the lights on Friday at the famed Texas Motorplex will net Top Fuel and Funny Car stars $15,000 each in bonus money, with $7,500 going to the top Friday qualifier in Pro Stock and $5,000 in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Torrence would love to pick that up and then end the weekend with his second victory this season.
 
To do so won’t be easy as he faces off with the likes of Kalitta, Leah Pruett, who is 47 points out of first, Ashley, a six-time winner in 2023, Antron Brown, Mike Salinas, and defending world champion Brittany Force. Torrence, though, knows all about rising to the occasion in these moments as he looks to pick up a third win at the Texas NHRA FallNationals.
 
“Like I’ve said so many times, it’s going to go right down to the wire,” Torrence said. “We’re halfway through [the playoffs], and there are five drivers who still have a legit shot. My guys did a great job of getting us back in the hunt on race day [in St. Louis]. I like where I’m sitting with these Capco boys behind me and the Countdown coming home to Texas.”

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 4 and 7 p.m. CT on Friday, Oct. 13, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 1 and 4 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for noon CT on Sunday, Oct. 16. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday and as well as action from eliminations at 3 p.m.
 
To purchase tickets to the Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex, call 800-668-6775 or visit tickets.texasmotorplex.com. Children 12 and under are admitted free in general-admission areas with a paid adult.