rocketman
Nitro Member
Duane Shields, the defending NHRA US Nationals Champion in Top Alcohol Dragster qualified for the biggest race of the year but a clutch malfunction prevented him from defending his US Nationals title.
Just qualifying for Indy was an accomplishment as 24 cars fought tooth and nail for 16 spots. The bump was a super low 5.45 so every team that entered the "Big Go" had to be on their game and some of the best drivers in the sport did not qualify.
Initially, Duane was on the bump spot but after the third round of qualifying he was on the outside looking in as the 18th qualifier. All he could muster at that point was a 5.53. But the PEAK Motor Oil sponsored machine made a thrilling Hail Mary pass in the final round of qualifying to move into the show. After the final session, Duane qualified 9th with a 5.41 at 254 MPH.
In round one, Duane faced Rich McPhillips who qualified 8th with a 5.41 at 259 MPH. Since both drivers had identical ET’s, lane choice was decided by MPH which McPhillips had earned as he had a higher MPH than Duane. “I felt comfortable going into eliminations but it turned out that lane choice was critical and nobody won in the right lane” he said.
As the lights came down the tree, Duane got off of the starting line first with an 0.058 to McPhillips’ 0.071 but the lead was quickly erased as Duane smoked the tires as a result of a clutch malfunction. McPhillips meanwhile posted a 5.56 to advance to round two. “It was a tough loss since we are the defending Champions but we feel good we’re making some headway. We have a competitive car and next we are going into Charlotte intending to winning the race” Duane said.
As always, Duane would like to thank his valued 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 and Shortline Markets for their support.
Just qualifying for Indy was an accomplishment as 24 cars fought tooth and nail for 16 spots. The bump was a super low 5.45 so every team that entered the "Big Go" had to be on their game and some of the best drivers in the sport did not qualify.
Initially, Duane was on the bump spot but after the third round of qualifying he was on the outside looking in as the 18th qualifier. All he could muster at that point was a 5.53. But the PEAK Motor Oil sponsored machine made a thrilling Hail Mary pass in the final round of qualifying to move into the show. After the final session, Duane qualified 9th with a 5.41 at 254 MPH.
In round one, Duane faced Rich McPhillips who qualified 8th with a 5.41 at 259 MPH. Since both drivers had identical ET’s, lane choice was decided by MPH which McPhillips had earned as he had a higher MPH than Duane. “I felt comfortable going into eliminations but it turned out that lane choice was critical and nobody won in the right lane” he said.
As the lights came down the tree, Duane got off of the starting line first with an 0.058 to McPhillips’ 0.071 but the lead was quickly erased as Duane smoked the tires as a result of a clutch malfunction. McPhillips meanwhile posted a 5.56 to advance to round two. “It was a tough loss since we are the defending Champions but we feel good we’re making some headway. We have a competitive car and next we are going into Charlotte intending to winning the race” Duane said.
As always, Duane would like to thank his valued 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 and Shortline Markets for their support.
