Madison Payne Qualifies in the Top Five at the Winternationals

Pomona - The Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals debut of the newly designed Muscle Milk A/Fuel Dragster went very well in qualifying with impressive runs that put Madison Payne in a position to go far into eliminations. Madison qualified fourth with a highly competitive 5.21 at 278 MPH to land in the top five of an elite field that featured over 19 cars vying for a tight sixteen-car field.

In round one, Madison drew NASCAR icon, Tony Stewart. The Muscle Milk crew headed by team owner Duane Shields hoped for a repeat victory over Stewart which occurred during the final round of Stewart's well-publicized debut in Las Vegas last season but that wouldn't be the case. As both cars left the starting line it was Stewart out first with a .052 light to Madison's .070. Madison's car then began to lose traction while Stewart sailed on for the win, laying down his best pass of the weekend scoring a 5.29 win over Madison's troubled 8.64 run.

Duane's Last National Event As a Driver
The next event on the schedule, the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas, April 14-16th, will be Duane's last national event competing as a driver. "I have thought about it since last season and I am ready to give up driving. I know it's time but I want to race once more at my home track and one more time in Reading, Pennsylvania at a regional event where we have a lot of friends and fans". Duane said.

Duane and Madison would like to thank Clean Boost, NGK Spark Plugs, GRP Rods, Brad Anderson Enterprises, and Muscle Milk for their continued support in 2023.