Grudgingly but sensibly sitting out last year’s Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals following what doctors called a “minor” heart attack only made Top Fuel racer Steve Torrence more resolved to show everyone what they missed.

This time the feeling was simply heartening.

Torrence became the class’ first four-time winner Sunday, edging No. 1 qualifier Doug Kalitta by about two feet (0.0049 seconds) in the final round at Norwalk, Ohio.

The independent Capco Contractors Dragster driver scored a holeshot victory, covering the Summit Motorsports Park 1,000-foot course in 3.743 second at 331.45 mph.

Trumping Kalitta’s quicker 3.736-second effort in the Mac Tools Dragster at 331.36 mph, Torrence maintained his points lead as the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series ends its four race “Eastern Swing” and heads to Joliet, Ill., for the July 6-9 Fallen Patriots Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by K&N.

“You could hear [Kalitta] the whole way. And when it’s that close, you’re thinking, ‘Don’t drop a hole [cylinder]. Don’t do this. Don’t do anything – just drive as straight as possible and try to get down there [to the finish line],” Torrence said after reaching six final rounds in the past eight events. “I knew I left good on the tree. But I could tell he was right beside me and it was going to be a coin toss who got it.

“You win any races it’s satisfying,” he said. The drama, he said, “just adds a little excitement, a little character, to the story of how you got it.”

Of course, all racers want to win every time they participate. But Torrence said competing at Norwalk is “special,” not the least reason being the tasty and reasonably priced ice cream the Bader family offers.

“I need to be riding a bicycle more and going to the gym, but I show up here and eat ice cream and win the race,”  he said.

His Capco Contractors Dragster, Torrence said, “is doing what Richard [crew chief Hogan] and Bobby [car chief Lagana] are telling it to do. They’ve got a good handle on it. It’s flawless, spot-on every time.”

That’s because he knows he has what he called “an unbelievable opportunity” and has faith in his dargster. He said he knew Sunday that “I hadn’t been the best on the sheet in reaction times. I knew that.” But he said he knuckled down and concentrated – and took advantage of Jack Beckman’s top-end, Funny Car final-round engine explosion and the extra clean-up time to relax and focus. He said he had been “confident and calm” all day.

His plan, he said, is to “keep my head down, keep grinding, stay focused.”

Torrence joined Beckman (Funny Car), Bo Butner (Pro Stock), and L.E. Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle) in the winners circle Sunday.

The Texas racer, who registered back-to-back victories at Charlotte and Atlanta and won at Englishtown, beat Troy Coughlin Jr. Sunday before bursting the bubble of previous and first-time winner Clay Millican, then winning against tire-shaking Brittany Force.

Kalitta defeated Troy Buff, Tony Schumacher (in their 85th career match-up), and three-time winner Leah Pritchett and was hoping to gain significant ground on Round 2 finisher Tony Schumacher. Kalitta is fifth in the standings and trails No. 4 Schumacher by 75 points. He leads Force by 47 points.

“It’s definitely disappointing to come up that close and not get the win for Mac Tools, Toyota, and all of our great supporters,” Kalitta said. “It felt great to run that strong all weekend. We were the No. 1 qualifier and ran the overall quick time in three of the four passes today. We’re headed in the right direction, and I am confident the win is coming soon."