TORRENCE CLAIMS NO. 1 QUALIFIER FOR NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS
Justin Ashley wins #2Fast2Tasty challenge in strong day for Team Toyota
KENT, Wash. (July 20, 2024) – In his quest to defend his Northwest Nationals title, Steve Torrence claimed the No. 1 qualifying spot for tomorrow’s eliminations at Pacific Raceways just outside of Seattle. The three-time Top Fuel world champion posted a blistering 3.688 elapsed time under the lights on Friday, earning his second No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 39th of his career. Torrence goes for career win number 55 tomorrow.
Justin Ashley followed Torrence by qualifying in the No. 2 seed for tomorrow’s eliminations, missing out on the top spot by just 0.006 seconds. Doug Kalitta was the other Toyota Top Fuel Dragster in the top-five seeds, claiming the No. 4 spot. Ashley also defeated Kalitta in the Top Fuel Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge Saturday evening, his third challenge win of the season.
In Funny Car, Ron Capps is in excellent position to capture his first victory of the 2024 season, earning the No. 2 qualifying position for tomorrow. Capps goes into Sunday just three round wins away from 900 in his historic career. J.R Todd is close behind Capps in the No. 4 spot and Alexis DeJoria enters tomorrow in 7th.
Tomorrow’s eliminations at Pacific Raceways begin at 10:30 a.m. PST with live TV coverage beginning at 4 p.m. EST on FOX.
Toyota Post-Qualifying Recap
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series
NHRA Northwest Nationals
Pacific Raceways
Race 11 of 20
TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS
| Name | Car | Qualifying Position | First Round Opponent |
| Steve Torrence | CAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 1st | R. Smith |
| Justin Ashley | SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 2nd | S. Langdon |
| Doug Kalitta | Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 4th | B. Torrence |
| Antron Brown | Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 7th | J. Hart |
| Billy Torrence | CAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 11th | D. Kalitta |
| Shawn Langdon | Kalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 13th | J. Ashley |
TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS
| Name | Car | Qualifying Position | First Round Opponent |
| Austin Prock | Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Funny Car | 1st* | Bye |
| Ron Capps | NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | 2nd | G. Densham |
| J.R. Todd | DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | 4th | B. Hull |
| Alexis DeJoria | Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | 7th | B. Alexander |
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
STEVE TORRENCE, CAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Torrence Racing
TF Qualifying Result: 1st
Will you be able to sustain the momentum you have from qualifying?
“That’s a good start for these CAPCO boys, but what we’re really looking for is a good finish. We’ve gone a whole calendar year without a winners’ circle celebration and, man, that’s too long!”
JUSTIN ASHLEY, SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, SCAG Racing
TF Qualifying Result: 2nd
What’s the feeling in winning the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge?
“Well quite a bit (of pride). Let’s be honest, tomorrow is a completely different day. I actually expect the conditions to be the same as they were now, today, but I hear it’s going to be a bit cooler and there’s going to be some cloud cover, so it’ll be a totally different day. Nonetheless, we have a lot of pride. We wanted to win this race for everybody at SCAG Power Equipment, Philips, Toyota and all of the wonderful partners we have. This team works incredibly hard. They’ve been grinding. We’ve been constantly trying to find ways to improve, and honestly, you have to in this Top Fuel field as it’s so deep and so talented, top to bottom. Really appreciate Mission Foods for putting this whole deal on. We’ll definitely take the win, definitely take the championship points. Mike Green (crew chief), Tommy DeLago (co-crew chief), all of the guys. Great job.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 34 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 28 electrified options.
Through its Driving Possibilities initiative, the Toyota USA Foundation has committed to creating innovative educational programs within, and in partnership with, historically underserved and diverse communities near the company’s U.S. operating sites.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
