Shields Qualifies 10th in Norwalk at Summit Race
Norwalk, Ohio, June 28, 2009 - Duane Shields returned to the NHRA national event circuit with a stop at Norwalk, Ohio and the third annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. After three rounds of qualifying, Shields qualified tenth with a 5.41 at 264 MPH.

Shields tenth qualifying position meant that he would face Canadian driver Ken Perry in round one. Perry qualified seventh with a respectable 5.39 at 260 MPH, so on paper this was anyone's race. At the light it was Perry that was out of the gate first with a 0.075 reaction time to Shields' 0.092. Perry was able to hold his lead all the way to the finish line where he won the race by a car length.

 

Demke's Close Call with the Shortline Express!
Watch this final wild round from Houston on You Tube: CLICK HERE



Shields Makes Semis in GA
Valdosta, Ga- After two straight wins on the NHRA national event circuit, Duane Shields posted a semifinal finish at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at South Georgia Motorsports Park.

In qualifying Shields qualified fifth with a 5.44 at 269 MPH which would set up a first round appointment with Dan Mercier who qualified 4th with a 5.44. At the light it was all Mercier with a 0.046 reaction time to Shields' 0.083. But Mercier's lead was short lived as Shields had him covered by more than a tenth and took the win light with a 5.30 at 270 MPH to Mercier's 5.42 at 267 MPH.

In round two Shields raced Artie Allen. At the hit it was Allen with a 0.091 reaction time to Shields' 0.101. Shields shook the tires and then pedaled. Artie Allen meanwhile was in route to the win as he stopped Shields' winning streak with a 5.38 to Shields' 7.14.



Shortline Express Team Wins in Houston
Shields Wins Two NHRA National Events In a Row!
Baytown TX March 28, 2009 - For the second time in his career, Duane Shields has won two NHRA national events in a row, this time taking the Top Alcohol Dragster title at the 22nd Annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil in Houston.

As was the case in Gainesville when he won the last event, the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals, Shields qualified in the middle of the pack but felt optimistic all weekend. With only two sessions, Shields qualified eighth with a 5.36 at 265 MPH and shook the tires in doing so. "Going into eliminations I felt pretty good because we shook the tires and still ran a 5.36" Shields said.

In first round Shields faced a tough opponent as he would race former World Champion Arthur Gallant, whom Shields had lost to before. "We knew Art Gallant would be tough so we brought our A-game" Shields said. And boy did Shields bring it, as he ran a 5.28 at 267 MPH to Gallant's 5.53 at 269 MPH. Gallant had to pedal as he smoked the tires, meanwhile Shields was long gone as he took the win.

Going into Sunday, Shields felt good and made no changes to the car even though he faced another difficult opponent in Bill Evans. "Like Art we knew we couldn't afford to take Bill lightly so we had to be on our game once again" said Shields. At the starting line, Shields had a big advantage with a 0.056 light to Evans' 0.156. As the cars left the line Shields' car begin to go into shake but Evans dropped a cylinder. At the finish line it was all Shields with a 5.29 at 271 MPH to Evans' 5.52 at 268 MPH. "The car began to shake so we were fortunate that he dropped a cylinder" Shields said. Back in the pits Shields' crew made some adjustments to the car before the semifinal round.

The opponents just kept getting tougher and in the semifinals Shields would face red-hot Mike Manners who had been out running him in the previous rounds. At the hit Shields again had the advantage with a 0.068 to Manners' 0.096 reaction time. Manners then suffered tire shake and then dropped a cylinder to record a 6.16 at 166 MPH. In the other lane, Shields' adjustments paid off as he ran a 5.30 at 271 MPH on a very s mooth pass to earn a final round birth against Chris Demke. Demke in the Peen-rite car has also been running very well and had been in several final rounds prior to the Houston race.

Little did anyone in the grandstands know that the final round of Top Alcohol Dragster would be one of the most exciting rounds of the day. At the light it was all Demke as he left on Shields with a 0.027 to Shields' 0.093. "There was big time glare on my side of the tree and I knew I was late. Demke was ahead and I was thinking that this would be the event where Demke would win his first race. But then he started to get close to the center line and knocked out the timing block. He then got back in his lane and I knew I had won as I drove by him and pulled the chutes. After I got out of the car I found out from viewing the ESPN footage that after I drove by Demke he got back in my lane again and was behind me as I pulled the chutes. Fortunately he was far enough behind not to get tangled in my chutes. We were both lucky nobody got hurt. " Shields said.

Since Demke crossed the centerline he was automatically disqualified. Shields ran a 5.36 at 271 MPH on his way to earning the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals title. This wasn't the first time that Shields had a close call in the final round at Houston. In 2002 Shields was in route to the title during the final round when a bolt broke causing the steering column to come a part. "The steering wheel rod separated so I had no steering at all. During the run I was able to slip the steering wheel rod back on the spline and get control of the car once again. Houston is my lucky track when it comes to close calls" Shields said after the win.

Shields celebrated a hard fought victory and was glad to have won again in Houston in front of a special member of his family. "This weekend I brought out my step mom, Tree. I was glad she could be here when we won. The crew had a good weekend as well" Shields said as he thanked the team that includes: Dana and Sheryl Hopewell, Bill Jones, Ralph Freeman and Chris Zedaker. The Shortline Express team also thanks its sponsors Hussey Copper and NGK Spark Plugs.

Next Week's Scheduled Event:
Next week the team will be back east again, this time racing at the Division 2 event at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Cecil GA. To avoid having to make up a divisional they chose the South Georgia race rather than race at their home track in Las Vegas. It's a new schedule for the team as they are claiming points in the South East Division.


Shields Steps Back to Win ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville
Gainesville, March 15, 2009 - For Duane Shields, qualifying on the pole usually means an early round exit. At the events where he qualifies in the middle of the pack he seems to do his best. So for the 40th Annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals, Shields came up with a new strategy: rather than run the best in qualifying, step back and improve the car's performance a little bit on each round.

The strategy paid off as Shields defeated Bill Reichert in the final to win his first ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals title. "I felt comfortable all weekend not being the number one qualifier. It seems like when we are the number one qualifier we often stumble. This time we gave the car some room to step up a little bit on every round" Shields said after the win.

Shields qualified sixth with an elapse time of 5.39. "The car was running a little inconsistent during qualifying and we had to get a handle on it" Shields said. Going into the first round Shields was optimistic but still knew his team needed to get better control on the car's performance. Shields was able to get out of the first round by beating Dan Mercier who posted a 6.22 to Shields' 5.38. That evening after winning the first round, Shields and the Shortline Express crew made some wholesale changes to the dragster.

In round two on Sunday, Shields took on Darryl Hitchman. Hitchman had some problems getting his car out of reverse as Shields patiently waited for him at the starting line. Finally, both cars were staged, and at the hit Shields had a quicker 0.081 reaction time to Hitchman's 0.147. It was all Shields down the length of the track as he posted a 5.36 at 268 MPH to cover Hitchman's slower 5.85 at 191MPH.

In the semifinals Shields took on Artie Allen from near by Jacksonville. "We hopped the car up before we ran Artie Allen as he beat us at the Gainesville divisional event" Shields said. Shields continued to run faster than the prior rounds and dipped into the twenties for the first time during the weekend. Allen got off the line first with an 0.068 to Shields' 0.074 reaction time, but at the stripe it was Shields getting the win with a 5.26 at 272 MPH to Allen's 5.38 at 259 MPH.

The semifinal win earned Shields the right to take on NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster Champion Bill Reichert. Shields had lane choice and chose the left lane while also coming up with a plan not to beat himself in the final. "We struggle with Reichert but we knew if we are consistent, have a good light and not beat ourselves we would have a chance. So all we can do is see how it plays out" Shields said. The game plan worked as Shields scored the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals victory. On his way to the title, Shields' Shortline Express dragster ran a blistering 5.28 while Reichert went up in smoke right off the starting line.

The ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals title was Shields' first win since his father, Lee Shields, had passed away prior to the season. Duane made a special dedication to his father after the race. "I dedicate the win to my dad as racing was a big part of our relationship. Also, my daughter Whitney and her friend Britnay are here for spring break. They are both my good luck charm. I also want to thank Hussey Copper, NGK Spark Plugs and my crew, Dana and Sheryl Hopewell, Chris Zedaker, Bill Jones and Ralph Freeman. They did a great job this weekend getting the car into the Winner's Circle".



Shields Qualifies Third at Winternationals

Pomona - (February 10, 2009) -- It was a long week for racers, officials and fans as intermittent rain showers stretched the NHRA Winternationals to a week long affair. In the Top alcohol class, the rain shortened qualifying to one round. Duane Shields, made the best of it and qualified third with a 5.39. In the first round Shields had a first round appointment with Dennis Swearingen. At the starting line, Shields let go of the button just a little to soon and red lit by -0.025 to lose the round.

To read more stories from the 2008 season  click here