Steve Torrence

Top Fuel driver Steve Torrence and team owner Dexter Tuttle will return full time to the NHRA Full Throttle tour in 2010. The return will mark Torrence's first full season in Top Fuel competition. Torrence joined Tuttle in the middle of 2008 and has been running a partial season in 2009.

"It has always been my dream to race for a Top Fuel championship," Torrence said. "When I first started racing in Super Comp, I always had the goal of someday being a Top Fuel world champion. Next year, I'll get that chance."

Both Torrence and Tuttle, who also tunes the car, will be using this weekend's Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals as a springboard into their bid for the 2010 Full Throttle world championship.

Always a man of few words, Tuttle is humble about the performance potential of his race car.

"I think our car runs pretty respectable," Tuttle said in his usual understated tone.

The Dexter Tuttle-owned, Steve Torrence-driven ColorFast dragster has qualified at all three events entered this season and has a semifinal finish in Memphis and a No. 2 qualifying berth in Vegas.

The fact that Tuttle's team consistently qualifies in the top half of the field and typically goes rounds on race day substantiates Tuttle's comments. This year, the team scored a season-best semifinal finish in Memphis and qualified No. 2 in Las Vegas. The  team is competing at only its fourth race this year.

The team will enjoy continued support from longtime sponsors Fram/Autolite, and Clevite but will also be seeking associate sponsors to add to its program.

"We have a really good team and can offer companies one heck of a value," Torrence said. "Dexter knows how to make every dollar count, so we can do this more affordably than most teams. That is really important in an economy like this. I do know that 2010 is going to be a blast; I'd like to invite Corporate America to come along for the ride."