Billy Torrence said his expanded presence in Top Fuel racing reflects a long-standing family plan that is now fully taking shape. The shift comes as his son, four-time NHRA champion Steve Torrence, increasingly focuses on leadership responsibilities within the family’s pipeline construction business.
For years, the Torrences balanced parallel roles as competitors and executives, helping CAPCO Contractors grow while building one of Top Fuel’s most successful modern dynasties. The evolution, Billy Torrence said, was always expected as business and personal priorities matured.
Billy Torrence’s own record underscores his competitiveness, winning eight of 13 final rounds and compiling a 119-96 win-loss mark. Much of that success came while operating in a complementary role during Steve Torrence’s championship peak from 2018 through 2021.
CAPCO Contractors, founded by Billy Torrence in 1995 and based in Henderson, Texas, has expanded into a major energy-sector operation. The company now employs more than 400 workers and oversees pipeline construction, compressor stations, and integrity projects across multiple states.
Torrence said the arrangement reflects a deliberate balance between sustaining the family business and continuing its racing legacy. He described his current role as both a competitive pursuit and an extension of the long-standing plan.
“Well, it’s always a lot of fun to come out here and race with my little old family and these Capco boys,” Torrence said. “So I’m really, really pleased to be doing it.”
“Absolutely. That’s always been the plan.”
Torrence described the transition as a natural progression rather than a sudden shift in strategy. He said both he and his son understood the need to balance corporate growth with the demands of elite-level drag racing.
“It takes the both of us to run it,” Torrence said. “So if I’m away a little while, I can always step back and help him.”
The elder Torrence credited Steve’s evolving personal priorities as part of the equation. He said family life and new interests have reshaped how the younger Torrence allocates his time.
“But he’s really done a really good job. He’s been wanting to not be racing for the last two or three years, but Kay and I just made him come out here and race,” Torrence said. “He’s got too good a team, too many fans not to.”
Torrence noted that Steve’s broader life experiences have helped shape the transition. He cited his son’s growing family and new pursuits away from the racetrack.
“But he’s diversified. He’s got a couple of kids, great little family, great wife,” Torrence said. “He’s learned to be a pilot and he’s enjoying some other things that he hasn’t had time to do while he is been out here since he’s been a kid racing.”
Even as responsibilities shift, Torrence emphasized that his competitive intent remains unchanged. He said success on track continues to be a central motivation for his renewed focus in Top Fuel.
“Well, I’m going to be here to win, no doubt about it because winning is the most fun,” Torrence said. “But it’s such a hard gig. You really need to find a way to have fun because it’s hard work.”
He rejected the notion that he had lost passion for the class during periods when business demands took precedence. Instead, Torrence said his limited schedule reflected operational realities rather than diminished interest.
“No, it’s just that I’ve really just been too busy,” Torrence said. “I mean, we work over a million man hours a year there at Capco.”
Torrence pointed to the company’s expansive geographic footprint as a key factor in his availability. CAPCO’s projects span from Louisiana to New Mexico and across Texas, requiring consistent executive involvement.
“The way our business is, we’re stretched out from Louisiana to New Mexico and all the way to the top and the bottom of Texas and that occupies my time,” Torrence said.
For Torrence, the recalibrated balance between racing and business reflects a philosophy rooted in long-term planning rather than short-term results. As he framed it, success remains defined by the same measure that has guided his family’s Top Fuel legacy: “Winning is the most fun.”
