Top Fuel racer Steve Torrence accomplished something on Sunday at the NHRA Carolina Nationals in Charlotte, North Carolina that no other professional driver has in the 11-year history of the series’ Countdown to the Championship playoff format: go unbeaten, untied, and unscored upon in four straight races to open the six-race conclusion to the season.

Photo courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

Torrence, who dominated the Top Fuel class a season ago with eight victories only to lose the championship in the home stretch in heart-breaking fashion, has made sure there’s no recurrence, winning at Reading, Pennsylvania, Madison, Illinois, Dallas, Texas, and this weekend in Charlotte. In doing so, Torrence has established a commanding lead in the standings — 169 points, or more than eight rounds of racing. With just two events and eight rounds of competition remaining, Torrence’s first title looks to be a safe bet, although his lead is not yet mathematically insurmountable when factoring in entry and qualifying points.

The Kilgore, Texas native won five times during the regular season, and his nine victories in all leads all other professional drivers this season.

If we win ‘em all, the points will take care of themselves. That’s what we want to do. Leave nothing to chance.

Torrence, whose Richard Hogan and Bobby Lagana, Jr. led Capco Contractors dragster has run virtually to perfection during his historic Countdown run, took a withdrawal from the luck-bank in his opening round match with Chris Karamesines Sunday at the zMax Dragway. Torrence lost traction early, forcing him to pedal his way to a pedestrian 3.95-second elapsed time, not far ahead of Karamesines’ 4.12 effort.

From there, Torrence and company returned to back-breaking form, disposing of Leah Pritchett, eight-time champion Tony Schumacher, and Brittany Force (who denied him of the championship in 2017) in the final round in a tight 3.703 to 3.708 match. Clay Millican, second in the standings, bowed out of competition in the second round, allowing Torrence to expand what was already a sizable lead with each subsequent round of racing.

“It’s coming into focus now,” said Torrence, who has led the points since the second race of the campaign, “but we’ve still got work to do. We’re gonna’ celebrate tonight and tomorrow we start getting ready for Vegas. Same routine, same plan: qualify, win first round, go from there. If we win ‘em all, the points will take care of themselves. That’s what we want to do. Leave nothing to chance.”

Photo courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

“I can’t say enough about these Capco boys,” Torrence added. “This is about them. All I can do as the driver is go up there and screw it up and, after all the effort those guys have put in it, I’m trying my best no to do that.”

For Torrence, who shares data and information with his father, part-time racer and recent Top Fuel winner Billy Torrence, along with Scott Palmer and brothers Dom and Bobby Lagana and their part-time team, the historic streak — and the season as a whole — is about and for those he’s surrounded himself with.

Photo courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

“This is all about family,” Torrence said, “because that’s what this Capco team is. I love these guys like brothers. I’d run through a wall for ‘em and they’d do the same for me. After last year (when he lost the title on the final day of the season), we committed ourselves as a team and as a family to do whatever it took to go out and get the championship. You don’t win the championship by default,” Torrence said. “You go up there and do your job when it’s crunch time.  Clay going out (early) opened the door and we did what we needed to do.”

Torrence can seal his long-awaited first Top Fuel championship at the upcoming Toyota NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, October 25-28.