Billy Torrence will return to NHRA competition this weekend at the Lucas Oil Nationals, entering both Top Fuel and Super Comp categories at Brainerd International Raceway.
The 67-year-old Texan and founder of CAPCO Contractors has not raced in nine months but will take the wheel of the Top Fuel dragster normally piloted by his son, Steve, as well as a Super Comp dragster.
“You’ve gotta take advantage when you have the chance,” Torrence said. “I haven’t done any kind of racing this year so I’m excited to get back into it.”
Torrence won his first Top Fuel event at Brainerd in 2018, a victory that launched a run of eight national event wins in the pro category while racing as his son’s teammate. That win came under difficult circumstances, which Torrence vividly recalled.
“Two rounds, I didn’t even know if we’d make it up there,” he said. “I think the problem was a throw out bearing. But they just kept after it. Before the semifinals, we didn’t even get to warm it up.”
What stood out most from that weekend wasn’t the win itself, but the people surrounding it.
“Just the pure elation of it,” Torrence said of a photo showing his family and crew celebrating at the starting line.
Steve Torrence, a four-time NHRA Top Fuel champion, is sitting out his fourth race of the season, allowing his father to step back into the 12,000-horsepower CAPCO dragster. The car most recently went to the winner’s circle at Bristol, Tenn., with Steve behind the wheel.
“We have a great team put together, a great car,” Billy Torrence said. “We have all the right parts and pieces. You know, we raced full-time for 13 seasons. We still love racing, but it’s not our priority.”
The elder Torrence emphasized that his family and business commitments now take precedence over a full-time racing schedule.
“(Steve and I) both have full-time jobs that are very demanding,” he said. “Plus now we’ve got two little granddaughters. Priorities change. We’ve got a really good group that we’re gonna try to keep together so that we can race when we want to.”
Although he has not run a full season since 2022, Torrence placed third in Top Fuel points in 2020 and has posted three top-five finishes overall. His most recent national event win came at Reading, Pa., in 2021.
