Torrence’s Top Fuel Dragster Scores Number Two Qualifier
POMONA, Calif. (November 12, 2022) – Ron Capps and his NAPA Toyota GR Supra team struggled through Friday’s qualifying sessions and found themselves on the outside looking in at the top-16 cars. But when the final round came about Saturday afternoon, Capps posted the top time of 3.837 to claim the number one qualifier position. Capps now finds himself within 57 points of the Funny Car championship with eliminations starting Sunday morning from Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California.
In Top Fuel, Steve Torrence posted the number two qualifier time with a pass of 3.647, but was behind one of the two championship contenders, Brittany Force, who claimed the number one qualifier spot only six one-thousandths quicker.
Toyota Post-Qualifying Recap
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series
Auto Club Raceway of Pomona
Race 22 of 22
TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS
| Name | Car | Qualifying Position | First Round Opponent |
| Brittany Force* | Monster Energy Top Fuel Dragster* | 1st (3.641) | S. Chrisman |
| Steve Torrence | Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 2nd (3.647) | R. August Jr. |
| Doug Kalitta | Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 6th (3.693) | J. Hart |
| Antron Brown | Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 7th (3.696) | J. Ashley |
| Justin Ashley | Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 10th (3.706) | A. Brown |
| Shawn Langdon | DHL Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 12th (3.751) | A. Prock |
(*non-Toyota driver)
TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS
| Name | Car | Qualifying Position | First Round Opponent |
| Ron Capps | NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | 1st (3.837) | J. Arend |
| Alexis DeJoria | Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | 6th (3.862) | J. Campbell |
| J.R. Todd | DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | 9th (3.917) | T. Wilkerson |
(*non-Toyota driver)
TOYOTA QUOTES
RON CAPPS, NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports
FC Qualifying Result: 1st
Can you talk about the emotion involved in claiming the number one qualifier heading into the championship run tomorrow?
“I got on the radio and I was screaming and yelling, it was like going down the road to Disneyland and getting on Space Mountain for the first time as a kid. I was fighting for my life to keep it between the guardrail and the center line and it was just hunting and moving. A lot of times, you think that would take ET (elapsed time) away, but I felt the clutch come in sooner than normal and today I could just tell. Yesterday we had issues, turned out it was ignition issues and we found it, but today it just had max cackle that Gary Scelzi always talked about. When your car is just banging and popping and sounding good at idle and you do the burnout and you think, ‘This might be too much,’ it sounded like that all day today. We were worried that the conditions might cool off too much with it being late in the day, but it held its own and Guido got in the box a couple times during the oil down and it just got to where I was asking for us just to get down and have a good run. We’re not going to see these conditions again this year so it’s great to end this way. We started the season with the number one qualifier at the Winternationals as a new team owner and I thought it would be crazy and how much better could it get. Then we go on to win five races and get the pole here at the end. This is what I talk about when you get into a race car like this and you wish you could make those big runs at the big moments, but when you actually have the capability and the personnel and the tools and obviously the sponsors with NAPA and Toyota, but you can actually strap in and go not only do I wish I can or do I think we can, but I know we can go out and throw down with the best. It’s a great feeling so what a way to end qualifying.”
What does it do knowing you have a possible match-up with Robert Hight in the semi-finals tomorrow?
“It’s just an emotional roller coaster. First it’s the interview on the top end and then we come up and see my family on the fence – all 80 of them that we got tickets for. That’s all fun and that’s what makes this so special, right? Then to get up here and I forgot all about the math and we get up here and Paul Mecca and our Gearwrench tools guy are like, ‘Did that get us below two rounds?’ So to have you guys tell us that not only did it, but it got us three points under, it gets better and better. Then I find out that we’re on the same side of the ladder so like I said, it’s a different day tomorrow. New track, new people, new opponents, big moments. I’m going to wake up tomorrow in my motorhome trackside and have a chance of possibly winning a world championship once again in NHRA. Possibly not, but there’s a good chance. There’s not a better feeling to wake up and stand here and realize that as a kid I used to watch the big moments and now I’m part of some of them.”
How do you calm yourself down in a situation like tomorrow with the championship on the line?
“Some drivers have to be completely silent and sit in the tow vehicle and I’m sending Instagrams out and tweets. Leah (Pruett) asked me last year when I have the time to do all this stuff and I told her, ‘When I get into the staging lanes.’ I answer my emails and send my tweets and funny Instagrams and Facebook stuff before I get suited up and it keeps my mind calm. And if anyone here is A.D.D., they will understand. It’s backwards, but I just try to stay busy. I’ve been through this moment so many times, it doesn’t matter, you still wake up with a pit in your stomach and bald eagles flying around your stomach. That’s what it’s all about.”
ALEXIS DEJORIA, Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, DC Motorsports
FC Qualifying Result: 6th
After a career-best pass in this qualifying session with 3.862, what does that say about this race team?
“Well, it definitely lifted up in the front, I could feel it a little bit, but it was nice and smooth. I didn’t get out of the groove too much. The temperature is great right now. Our last one would have been good, but I’m so nervous about crossing the center line or touching it and getting 15 points taken away. So I’m a little gun shy. I can’t say enough about our team, they are so rad and our crew chiefs are so rad. This year has really been building for next season. We have a badass car. We have a badass team and my whole crew is just freaking awesome.”
STEVE TORRENCE, Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Torrence Racing
TF Qualifying Result: 2nd
How do you feel about your championship chances with Brittany Force and Justin Ashley running strong in qualifying?
“There’s still a chance, but that door is definitely not open very much. Anytime you can run quicker than that Monster car on any lap, that’s a big deal and it’s crazy to think we ran .64 and we’re still number two. That’s a testament to how bad to the bone those guys are, but these Capco Contractors boys on this Toyota dragster, we definitely want to finish the season on a bang and finish strong. We kind of shot ourselves in the foot and just experimented entirely too long and couldn’t get it back in time. It’s been a good year, but I’m glad it’s over. We still have a shot to play spoiler tomorrow, but it would entail two of the best cars out here to go out early. We’re not going to hope for that, but we’re just going to go out and give it all we’ve got and maybe we can play spoiler.”
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