Shields Exits Early at Phoenix Regional Event

Shields Exits Early at Phoenix Regional Event

Phoenix AZ - Duane Shields suffered a first round defeat at the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series regional event held at Firebird Raceway. Other than a chute that deployed itself at 1000 feet during the second round of qualifying, the PEAK Motor Oil A/Fuel Dragster ran well and ended up in the fifth position with a 5.42 at 267 MPH.

In round one, Duane was paired up with Joey Severance from Woodburn, Oregon. Severance qualified fourth with a 5.40 so on paper it looked like an evenly matched race between the two veteran racers. As the lights came down, Duane instantly went up in smoke while Severance made a clean pass to advance to the second round. “I was disappointed that we smoked the tires because the car ran good right out of the box. We we're surprised because the clutch went straight to lock up" Duane said.

The PEAK team looks to solve the problem and rebound at the NHRA Gatornationals in two weeks. "We don't know what caused the problem but we are going to figure it out and analyze it before Gainesville. What we're trying to do is make this a faster car so we have a wider range of tune up options" Duane explained.

Duane would like to congratulate PEAK teammate Jay Payne for winning the Top Alcohol Funny Car class in Phoenix and thank his sponsors: PEAK Motor Oil, PEAK Antifreeze, Herculiner Truck Bed Liners, Blue DEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid and FINAL Charge Heavy Duty Truck Antifreeze, GRP Connecting Rods, NGK Spark Plugs, Molinari Race Products, Sierra Ice and Shortline Markets.