Norwalk, Ohio - Even though the weather didn't fully cooperate, it was a good outing for Duane Shields and the PEAK Team. They did everything right but lost a very close nail-biter in the second round of eliminations at the 12th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. “It was a rain plagued race which always effects the race teams and makes the event a guessing game” Duane noted.
Duane qualified fifth with a respectable 5.31@ 276 MPH. This set up a showdown between Duane in the PEAK Dragster and Corey Michalek. At the hit, Michalek pulled off an impressive 0.010 reaction time to Duane’s 0.037. Unfortunately for Michalek, his great reaction time was all for nothing as he immediately lost traction right off of the starting line. Meanwhile, Duane was on a clean pass and stopped the clock with a 5.33 at 272 MPH for the win.
In the quarterfinals, Duane took on Troy Coughlin Jr. This race turned out to be one for the highlight reel. At the startingline, Duane was out of the gate first with an 0.059 to Coughlin’s 0.077. Both cars were side by side with Duane slightly ahead by mid track. Then, Coughlin was able to overpower Duane and command the lead. At the finish line Coughlin held on by inches, taking the narrow win with a 5.28 at 276 MPH to Duane’s very close 5.32 at 275 MPH. “They had good MPH at half track and I think that was the race. It’s disappointing to see them slow down in the next round after they had their best run against me” Duane said.
Next weekend the team heads to Lebanon Valley Dragway in New York. If you are in the Northeast, this will be your chance to see the nitro fueled dragsters up close and personal. “The car is running great and my driving is good so we’ll roll into New York expecting to do well” Duane said. The race team would like to thank PEAK Antifreeze and Motor Oil, Final Charge, Blue Def, NGK, GRP and Brad Anderson Enterprises for their support.
Duane qualified fifth with a respectable 5.31@ 276 MPH. This set up a showdown between Duane in the PEAK Dragster and Corey Michalek. At the hit, Michalek pulled off an impressive 0.010 reaction time to Duane’s 0.037. Unfortunately for Michalek, his great reaction time was all for nothing as he immediately lost traction right off of the starting line. Meanwhile, Duane was on a clean pass and stopped the clock with a 5.33 at 272 MPH for the win.
In the quarterfinals, Duane took on Troy Coughlin Jr. This race turned out to be one for the highlight reel. At the startingline, Duane was out of the gate first with an 0.059 to Coughlin’s 0.077. Both cars were side by side with Duane slightly ahead by mid track. Then, Coughlin was able to overpower Duane and command the lead. At the finish line Coughlin held on by inches, taking the narrow win with a 5.28 at 276 MPH to Duane’s very close 5.32 at 275 MPH. “They had good MPH at half track and I think that was the race. It’s disappointing to see them slow down in the next round after they had their best run against me” Duane said.
Next weekend the team heads to Lebanon Valley Dragway in New York. If you are in the Northeast, this will be your chance to see the nitro fueled dragsters up close and personal. “The car is running great and my driving is good so we’ll roll into New York expecting to do well” Duane said. The race team would like to thank PEAK Antifreeze and Motor Oil, Final Charge, Blue Def, NGK, GRP and Brad Anderson Enterprises for their support.
