While many had expected a Torrence to continue his dominance in the 2021 Top Fuel season, it was Billy Torrence who stepped up on Sunday.
“That’s a really good team that ran really well and I had a good car,” Torrence said. “I’m certainly the weak link in my car, but they made me look good in the end. It says a lot for the boys. It’s a shame they don’t have a better driver, but the car is really good. I have a good time and my extended age, I’m going to take all the wins I can get.”
“I love to race,” said Torrence. “Racing is fun and I think Steve and I would footrace if that’s all we had. You name it, we’re going to get out and race. These guys make me look good and I just try to do the best I can.”
RPM Round By Round:
Round 1 - Billy Torrence faced Josh Hart in the first round and the pair had never faced off prior to this. While Hart had the better launch and seemed to have the win locked up, his car went silent and as Torrence gobbled him up at the finish running a 3.721 at 328.78 MPH.
Round 2 - Shawn Langdon was the matchup in the 2nd round and had the better launch against Billy Torrence. It did not take long for Torrence to show the strength of his car as he peddled past Langdon quickly running a 3.719 at 329.18 MPH.
Round 3 - In the semifinals, it was time to face off against number one qualifier Brittany Force. Another consistent run and better reaction time propelled Torrence to the victory with a 3.725 run at 328.46. Billy Torrence was showing that he can produce one consistent run after another.
Round 4 - The finals matched Billy Torrence against sophomore Justin Ashley. It was Ashley who disposed of Steve Torrence in the semi's and he looked to make it 2-0 against the pair and earn his first Wally of 2021. That would not be the case though as Billy Torrence quickly played catchup after the launch and already had the lead at 330 feet. It was Billy Torrence who will be taking home the Wally from Maple Grove and making a statement to open up the countdown.
Top Fuel Points:
1 Steve Torrence 2179
2 Brittany Force 2167 -12
3 Billy Torrence 2137 -42
4 Justin Ashley 2124 -55
5 Leah Pruett 2113 -66
6 Antron Brown 2103 -76
7 Shawn Langdon 2102 -77
8 Mike Salinas 2078 -101
9 Clay Millican 2067 -112
10 Doug Kalitta 2032 -147
Check out the full recap by Josh Hachat:
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