A broken piston turned out to be the culprit for DSR teammate Tony Schumacher’s U.S. Army dragster in his first-round matchup with Khalid al Balooshi.

The No. 1 qualifier for the fourth time in his pro career, Torrence took out Terry McMillen in round one with a spectacular performance that ultimately proved to be the best of the weekend – 3.776 seconds at 328.86 miles per hour.

However, the day began to turn for the 2005 Top Alcohol Dragster World Champion in a second round win over Brittany Force. Although Torrence got the victory, his troubled 5.363-second time at only 154.46 mph wasn’t nearly quick enough to secure lane choice.

Shuffled into the less favored right lane, the Capco dragster lost traction almost immediately and slowed to 9.959 seconds while Khalid al Balooshi drove away to an easy win in 3.846 seconds.

Despite the disappointment of again failing to win a Top Fuel title in his home state, Torrence held firmly to third place in Mello Yello points.