Torrence stays 5th; meets Morgan Lucas in first round

Steve Torrence accomplished one of his goals Saturday when he qualified the Capco Racing/Tuttle Motorsports Top Fuel dragster in the No. 5 starting position for Sunday’s Tire Kingdom Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.

His quickest Friday 1,000-foot lap of 3.860 seconds at 313.80 went unchallenged due to warmer weather and hotter track temperatures.  His first-round opponent is Morgan Lucas (No. 12, 3.879 at 317.57 mph).

“I am very pleased with our starting position,” Torrence said. “It helps to get lane choice in the first round, and I think the track might be cooler – and faster – in the first round because of daylight savings time starting Saturday night.

“The crew is working together and doing a good job.  They are working to figure out the combination we will need to get past the first round.  Morgan won at Pomona two weeks ago, so he is unbeaten this year.  We want to knock him off.”