Steve Torrence was sitting at his home, eating dinner with his wife when the phone rang. It was Dexter Tuttle asking if he’d like to drive a Top Fuel dragster again.

“I had told her that I was just going to put it in God’s hands and leave it alone,” Torrence said. “I just kind of put it on the back burner and went on with life. Short of going to every race, I didn’t know what else to do.”

Torrence said the prayer was the best thing he could have done.

Steve Torrence was sitting at his home, eating dinner with his wife when the phone rang. It was Dexter Tuttle asking if he’d like to drive a Top Fuel dragster again.

“I had told her that I was just going to put it in God’s hands and leave it alone,” Torrence said. “I just kind of put it on the back burner and went on with life. Short of going to every race, I didn’t know what else to do.”

Torrence said the prayer was the best thing he could have done.

“It just feels good to be back out here,” Torrence said. “I really tried to keep my composure and not really let on to everyone just how nervous I was.”

Friday’s opening run went to the top of the session and represented the first time since February 2006 he’d driven a Top Fuel dragster, or any dragster for that matter.

Torrence was formerly a teammate of J.R. Todd on Dexter Tuttle’s team then.

“I can definitely tell that I hadn’t been driving for a while,” Torrence said. “I had built it up in my mind to be a lot faster than it was. You know these cars are running 4.40s and 4.50s and you build up in your mind that it’s going to be so much quicker.

“The car ran a strong sixty foot and I have to admit that I was surprised I was up with the car. I figured that I would be behind it a little and it would take me a few runs to get caught up. I surprised myself. I felt it go out there and waddle the tires a bit. Then I felt it get on the high side and I was so excited about that I almost forgot to pull the parachutes.

“I think we are going to do well and I realize there will be a learning curve because it has been two years since. I’ll take it one lap at a time and hopefully by eliminations time I’ll be up to speed.”

Torrence went to the top spot in the first session with a 4.579 elapsed time at 315.42 miles per hour.