Torrence to drive a second Skull Shine Top Fuel dragster a..

Steve Torrence, the 2005 NHRA Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster champion, will
make his move into the Top Fuel ranks at next weekend's inaugural Torco
Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park near Richmond, Va.
Torrence will be driving a second Skull Shine/Knoll Gas-Torco Racing Fuels
dragster as a teammate to rookie sensation J.R. Todd. He will be tuned by
former Funny Car champion Mark Oswald.
"I'm very excited," said Torrence, 23, who dominated the TAD series a year
ago, winning four national events and five divisional races. He added two
more national event wins in 2006. "I am looking forward to working with
[team owner ] Dexter [Tuttle] and the team. I'm honored to be J.R.'s
teammate. We want to do well and put on a good show for everybody.

"Driving a Top Fueler is the pinnacle of drag racing. You can't get any
higher. I've wanted to do this since I was a kid growing up. I'm living a
dream, and I want to take advantage of this opportunity."

He earned his Top Fuel license in June, making the required number of runs
in Todd's dragster in Madison in June.

"Driving the Top Fuel car was definitely quite a jump from the A/Fuel car,"
Torrence said. "It left (the starting line) a good bit harder, and it really
pulled harder from 200 feet out to the finish line. I had runs of 4.75 and
4.76 seconds at 308 (mph). That was a major difference in the two cars. The
4.75-second time isn't a competitive run by any means, but when the quickest
I had run before was 5.20 seconds, it was a big jump."

Tuttle said he is "excited to be able to put Steve into a Top Fuel dragster.
We expect great things from him. Both cars will be set up identically. Mark
will work with Jimmy Walsh, J.R.'s crew chief, on the tune-ups."

"I think this is a definite advantage for us," Todd said. "We will have
another car to learn from, and that will help both cars."

Evan Knoll, owner of Skull Shine and Knoll Gas-Torco Racing Fuels, said he
is "very excited about having Steve get behind the wheel of the Top Fuel
dragster. I got him licensed in J.R.'s car, and now we'll see what he will
be able to do. We want him to have fun with this team."

"I'm thrilled to have the opportunity of driving a Top Fuel dragster for
Evan and look forward to working with him and Dexter Tuttle's team," said
Torrence.

Torrence will be in Reading, Pa.., this weekend to watch Todd compete at the
rain-delayed Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway. Torrence,
Oswald, and crew will test the new Brad Hadman-built dragster on Monday at
Maple Grove.

The other two races on Torrence's schedule are in Las Vegas Oct. 26-29 and
Pomona, Calif., Nov. 9-12.

Torrence was a virtual unknown when he replaced the late Shelly Howard in
the driver's seat of Tom Conway's Skull Gear/Torco Racing Fuels A/Fuel
Dragster in 2005. But drag racing fans definitely knew his name by the end
of the year. And he kept up that pace early this season, winning twice.

Oswald won the 1984 Funny Car championship and retired from driving with 19
victories, 17 in Funny Car two in Top Fuel. He won at least one national
event from 1982 through 1991. He was runner-up to Shirley Muldowney in the
1982 Top Fuel points race and placed in the Funny Car top 10 from 1983 to
1992.