Shields and Shortline Express Team Wins Division 2 and Finishes Third in Nationally


Reynolds, GA- Duane Shields and the Shortline Express team clinched the Division 2 Top Alcohol Dragster Championship with a big win at Silver Dollar Raceway on October 18.

 

Shields Ends Season with Quarter Final Finish at Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona
Pomona - The Auto Club NHRA Finals are now in the books which ends the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle and Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series season. Now that Champions are crowned the points will be reset to zero as teams get a fresh start in 2010. The end of the season also marks the final battle of the year for Duane Shields and the Shortline Express team.

It was truly a great season for Shields as he entered Pomona in third place nationally but could no longer earn points as he had already claimed the maximum amount of races for the year. The good news for Shields was that only Shawn Cowie could pass Shields in the point standings and he would have to win the event to do so.

Shields' weekend started a little rough as the team discovered that they had a bad fuel pump during the first round of qualifying. Once the pump was replaced the car ran consistently well all weekend as the team qualified fifth in the tough sixteen car field with a 5.30 at 271 MPH. This would set up a first round showdown with Division Seven racer Chris Demke. "We couldn't take Demke lightly as he ran in the 5.20's at the Winternationals" Shields explained.

At the light Demke got out of the gate first with a 0.017 reaction time to Shields' 0.059 and was able to maintain the lead until the Shortline Express horsepower kicked in and Shields flew by him. At the finish line it was Shields by a car length. Shields had a winning time of 5.21 at 268 MPH to Demke's 5.32 at 268 MPH. Shields' 5.21 was his third best ET and his best ever first round ET. "Chris had a great light as it was the third best reaction time of the round and it was just his luck to have been paired up with us when the car was running so well" Shields said.

In the second round Shields faced the man who he has been chasing down for the Top Alcohol Dragster Championship, Bill Reichert. Shields got out in front of Reichert at the starting line with an 0.055 to Reichert's 0.062. Even with the disadvantage at the starting line, Reichert had the momentum to get past Shields and take the stripe with a 5.28 at 267 MPH to Shields' close 5.31 at 273 MPH. "We had to race the champ and we over powered the track just a little bit and I had to pedal it. Still the car ran a 5.31 which was good so I wasn't to terribly disappointed, but I would like to have advanced to the next round. Bill and I always run good when we have to face each other" said Shields.

When asked what the team planned to do over the winter, Shields said they would likely not make any changes in the off season. "We have a great team and had a very good year, unless they (NHRA) make a major rule change we should stay competitive next season. So, we'll likely come back with the same combination we are running right now" Shields said.

Shields would like to thank all of his team members, fans and sponsors including NGK Spark Plugs and Hussey Copper for all of their support this season and wishes everyone a happy holiday season.

 

Shields' Shot at Championship End in Vegas
Las Vegas - Duane Shields' chances of winning the NHRA Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster Championship came down to the Shortline Express Gambler Showdown presented by Torco at The Str ip at Las Vegas, which is a race his company Shortline Express Markets sponsors. For competitors of the Top Alcohol Dragster class it was a challenge just to qualify as over 20 cars were trying to get into an eight car field. Just to watch Top Alcohol Dragster qualifying would be worth the price of admission.

Shields got into the field in the eighth and final position with a 5.41 at 263 MPH. "We were feeling pretty good as the conditions were like last week's national event so we felt we would do well and we were fortunate to get in with so many cars trying to qualify. But we had a couple of malfunctions that popped up and we were only aware of one of them at the end of qualifying" Shields said. The malfunction they discovered was an ignition problem which the team found and fixed before round one.

Going into the first round Shields faced number one qualifier Hillary Will. At the hit Shields got a sizable lead off the starting line with an 0.064 reaction time to Will's 0.141. But by 1000 feet Will was able to get past Shields as he began experiencing problems. Will recorded a 5.46 at 259 MPH for the win as Shields slowed to a 5.67 at 231 MPH on just three cylinders. The problem turned out to be a fuel regulator that wasn't working.

The loss put an end to Shields hope to come from behind and win the Championship. "After we lost we went down and congratulated Bill Reichert who won the Championship. We knew going into this race it was a long shot and knew what we were up against so we weren't too surprised. We had a great year and had very few malfunctions that cost us a race like what happened today" Shields said.

Now that the pressure is off the team plans to head for Pomona and have some fun at the NHRA Auto Club Finals.

 

Shields Tries to Gain Some Ground in National Points Battle at Home Track
Las Vegas - After winning the NHRA Divisional event at Silver Dollar Raceway in Reynolds, GA which sewed up the Division 2 Top Alcohol Dragster Championship, Duane Shields headed home to Las Vegas for the Ninth annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals. And since The Strip at Las Vegas is his home track, Shields pulled out all the stops for his fellow competitors and friends in the Top Alcohol pits with a hot dog feed throughout the weekend. His pit was also full of friends and family from the surrounding area that come to the event each year to see him race.

Besides the fact that the race was at his home track, the event was especially important to Shields' chances of winning the Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster National Championship. In qualifying, the car ran very consistent which gave the Shortline Express Team confidence going into eliminations. "We were very happy with how consistent the car was running throughout the weekend" ShieldS said after qualifying third with a 5.31 at 261 MPH. On the eve of eliminations the Shortline team had some tense moments as crew member Chris Zedaker had a top end crash racing the team's Super Comp car. Luckily, Zedaker was OK so the team was able to get back to preparing for their first round opponent.

Shields' first round paring turned out to be with none other than his teammate, Brandon Johnson. "Brandon works for me but there's no team orders. We are both here to race" Shields said. Johnson qualified 14th with a decent 5.41 at 260 MPH but would have his work cut out for him as Shields was a tenth quicker. At the hit Johnson got out of the gate quicker with an 0.035 reaction time to Shields' 0.077. As the cars crossed finish line it was a close one as both Shields and Johnson ran identical 5.37 ETs and nearly identical MPH with Shields' 269 being just one MPH faster. But Johnson's slightly quicker reaction time at the starting line was the difference in the race. "We were hoping for a 5.30 and to stay consistent. But it was a good race as Brandon and Mike Johnson really stepped it up. And it was a good race on the spectator side too but we really needed to win that round" Shields said.

While the loss hurt Shields' chances at winning the National Championship, Johnson would go on to defeat Jim Whitely in the second round which helped keep Shields' chances alive. "Brandon was my enemy in the first round but my best friend in the second round" Shields joked.

Even though the Las Vegas Nationals was the last national event that Shields could claim points, he still can claim points at the final division event of the year also held in Vegas next week and can still make up some points there depending on how well he does and how well his opponents do. At Pomona the following weekend, Shields won't be able to claim points but will be a blocker. "We are excited about next week's divisional race since our Shortline Express Market sponsors it and we'll have a chance to make up some points. I'm also looking forward to Pomona since we always do well there" Shields said.

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