Drag Illustrated Issue 148, September 2019 | Page 87

ays after a grueling Western Swing in which reigning
Top Fuel champion Steve Torrence competed in 11 of a possible 12
elimination rounds, the reverberation of the 11,000 horsepower Capco
Contractors Top Fuel dragster echoed through the serene landscape
of Ennis, Montana (population 838) with most of the town turning
out to witness the dragster make four throttle whacks and celebrate
crew chief and Ennis resident Richard Hogan.
Like many of the shenanigans orchestrated by the Capco Contractors
team, new wrinkles were piled onto the idea before it became a full-scale
event signed off upon by the Torrence family. In this case, an impromptu thought of visiting their
leader after the Western Swing and his birthday snowballed into a city-wide gathering. Bobby
Lagana Jr. altered the maintenance schedule utilizing the help of the full-time members of the
part-time second car driven by Billy Torrence so they could stay on the road for a day in Ennis
and head straight to Brainerd without having to visit their Indianapolis shop.
Capco Contractors Top Fuel crew chiefs take
us inside Steve Torrence's run of success
By Brad Littlefield
Photographs by RICK BELDEN, SHAWN CROSE and
NHRA / NATIONAL DRAGSTER
D r a g Il l u s t r a t e d . c o m
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Dr ag Illustr ated