Shields Makes a Hail Mary Pass to Qualify at Gatornationals

Shields Makes a Hail Mary Pass to Qualify at Gatornationals


Gainesville FL - It all came down to the last qualifying session but Duane Shields and the PEAK Motor Oil A/Fuel Dragster team valiantly made the NHRA Gatornationals field with a respectable 5.44 at 266 MPH.

In the first round of qualifying, the car shook hard which caused the fuel line to come loose off of the pump and then in the second session Duane had to pedal resulting in a 5.51 pass which was not quick enough to make the field. The last ditch qualifying attempt landed the PEAK Dragster in the thirteen position. “On the final run we had to make sure the car ran well but we also did not want to over power the track” Duane said.

The Gatornationals Top Alcohol Dragster field was the toughest so far this season as twenty cars fought to make the 16 car field which produced a brutal 5.50 bump spot. “The southeastern U.S. is deep with strong competitors. Every team that we face on the east coast is tough” Duane added.



In round one, Duane faced Dan Mercier. At the light, Duane was out of the gate first with a 0.057 to Mercier’s 0.106. Unfortunately for Duane, the car shook forcing him to pedal which allowed Mercier to take the lead and make it the finish line first. Mercier took the stripe with a 5.32 at 268 MPH to Duane’s 5.51 at 267 MPH. “The car shook about one second into the run and Dan made a great pass so that was the end of it” Duane said.

Duane is confident that the recent problems will get sorted out soon. “Our team is good at overcoming obstacles. We are changing our engine combination before the next race. We are going back to out 2011 combo which we know will take us back to our competitive nature. There is still time to get back on top and we look forward to getting PEAK back in the winner circle”.

Duane would like to recognize 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.