Steve Torrence     NHRA POWERade Drag Racing   Skull Shine/Torco Top Fuel Dragster   Age 23

Race car drivers under 25 are often called young guns but the way they approach speed they are more like young rockets. The young rockets in NHRA learn the rules and the reality about taking speed to the highest level. Fast and quick has meaning in drag racing and reaction times are essential as well as productive. Youthful mind speed is a plus, but it still takes experience to be competitive.

In NHRA drag racing the goal is to go fast and straight against a single competitor on the track. Win or go home. No exceptions.

It's tough road to the top but those who start young and develop fast get the chances to advance. The competition is fierce. The sportsman structure in NHRA provides a training ground for young drivers. Most will learn there, but few will advance to pro ranks.

Steve Torrence started young and advanced to Top Fuel Dragster. His words tell much about what it takes inside to get top results outside on the hard fast track.

Time: Late Season 2006
Place: Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nev.
Event: ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals

Dwight asked Steve Torrence:

Do you feel professional drivers handle stress better than the rest of us?
"Well, there are a couple drivers out here that deal in stress in different ways. You hear things about some drivers are way more nervous than others. That is a big factor that you have to deal with. You have to deal with. You have to deal with a lot of stress from the people around. You more in the limelight than the average sportsman here out here racing. Definitely there is a great deal of stress in the pro ranks. I don't know if the driver is just being considered a pro are able to deal with it any better or worse than any other driver.

You started young, how did you come so far?
"Well I started racing Supercomp with my dad. I've raced Supercomp since I was 15. I kind of slid through the rules and had a provisional driver's license and was able to race. I started racing Top Alcohol last year half way through the season with a guy named Tom Conway. Tom and I had a great team behind us and we were able to do very well and have like a storybook season. We were able to go out and win the championship. Things have been really propelled. Evan Knoll came on board last year with the alcohol car and has been with me ever since and supported me and backed me. I couldn't ask for a better sponsor. The only reason I'm where I'm at now is because of him."

You have two parts to your job. You have to drive, represent your sponsor and work with the fans. What's that like? "Working with the fans is awesome. You got all these guys coming up. I'm still young and you never thought growing up that you would be a pro race car driver. That you would be up here and all these people would want your name signed on something. That still kind of blows my mind form time to time. You're out there and there are little kids running around with a picture of you on a card and they are wanting you to sign it. Do you even know you could be driving this thing as well as I could? I enjoy working with the fans. It is two jobs. You drive a race car and then you've got to get out and no matter how good or how bad things are going you've got to keep on a even keel. You're out here to promote your sponsor. That's the main job you have out here in addition to driving the race car."

Additional Comments:
"We're going to start up next year with a full schedule with J.R as a second car. We'll be a team. I think that's going to be a big advantage to us. I really didn't have any marks set for how well we wanted to do. I think this team is going to jell together real well. Hopefully we'll be somebody to contend with next year."