Shields Takes on Reichert in Classic Final Round at Maple Grove

Shields Takes on Reichert in Classic Final Round at Maple Grove

It was a classic Top Alcohol Dragster final round that fans in Reading, PA will remember for a long time as Duane Shields narrowly lost to rival Bill Reichert in a race where both drivers ran nearly identical 5.45 ET’s and very close reaction times. The margin of victory was 0.0046 seconds, the distance of less than two feet at the finish line. “It was a very close race! Obviously we wanted the win but we also wanted to give Reichert a good race and we did that. We just came up a little short” Duane said.

In Qualifying, Duane took the number 5 position with a 5.41 at 270 MPH to set up a first round meeting with Dan Page. At the hit, Page was out first but Duane was able to get past him and hold the lead. Page got close but was unable to get around the Shortline Express at the finish line. Duane recorded a 5.42 at 268 MPH to Page’s valiant 5.45 at 264 MPH. “The race with Dan Page was a real close one” Shields said.

In round two, Duane took on number one qualifier, Richard Bourke, from Old Tappan, NJ. Bourke got off the line first but once again, the Shortline Express passed their opponent in route to another round win. Shields recorded a 5.40 at 268 MPH to Bourke’s 5.55 at 253 MPH to move on to the final round and face Bill Reichert.

The race between the current and former NHRA World Champions would live up to every race fan’s best expectation. Duane got off the line first with an 0.050 to Reichert’s very close 0.051. Both cars were even down the Maple Grove quartermile and each car dropped a cylinder along the way. At the finish line it would be Reichert pulling out the win with a 5.452 at 259 MPH to Duane’s nearly identical 5.457 at 265 MPH.

Even though Duane fell short in scoring the victory he was happy with the over all outcome of the race. “Everything worked out according to our plans as our goal was to go rounds. This race really helped us in gathering points on the regional side. Now, we’ll take a break until the Chicago race where we are looking forward to representing Division 2 in the JEGS All Star race” Duane said. The Chicago event is scheduled for June 28 - July 1 at Route 66 Dragway.

Duane would like to thank his sponsors GRP Connecting Rods, Molinari Race Products and NGK Spark Plugs for their valued support.