[coverattach=1]Reading, PA May 28, 2010 - Fresh from winning the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals last weekend in Topeka, Duane Shields and the Shortline Express team traveled to Maple Grove Raceway to try and extend their winning streak to five wins for the season in the Top Alcohol Dragster class. It appeared from the start of qualifying that Shields was in a good position to do just that by posting the fastest qualifying time right out of the box with a 5.33 at 271 MPH.
Shields qualifying position set up a first round pairing with the number eight qualifier, Dan Mercier. Mercier got in the show with a 5.59 at 253 MPH so Shields was the likely favorite to win the round. But drag racing has a tendency to surprise racers and fans with some unpredictable moments, and that's exactly what happened as both drivers went red! Unfortunately for Shields, his car lurched forward just after staging and broke the beam causing him to red light. Mercier, who also red lit was last do so, and won the race under "the first or worst" rule.
Shields blamed himself for fouling out. "I think we might be looking for a new driver" Shields said jokingly. "My foot moved just a little bit and the throttle is a little bit sensitive and before I knew it the lights came down and I saw the red light. It was a perfect opportunity that slipped away as we would have faced Bill Reichert inthe second round. We win as a team and lose as a team and this time it was the driver but we have the Jegs All Star race in Chicago this weekend so we'll quickly get over this and move on" Shields said. The Shortline Express team thanks their sponsors Hussey Copper and NGK Spark Plugs for their continued support.
Shields qualifying position set up a first round pairing with the number eight qualifier, Dan Mercier. Mercier got in the show with a 5.59 at 253 MPH so Shields was the likely favorite to win the round. But drag racing has a tendency to surprise racers and fans with some unpredictable moments, and that's exactly what happened as both drivers went red! Unfortunately for Shields, his car lurched forward just after staging and broke the beam causing him to red light. Mercier, who also red lit was last do so, and won the race under "the first or worst" rule.
Shields blamed himself for fouling out. "I think we might be looking for a new driver" Shields said jokingly. "My foot moved just a little bit and the throttle is a little bit sensitive and before I knew it the lights came down and I saw the red light. It was a perfect opportunity that slipped away as we would have faced Bill Reichert inthe second round. We win as a team and lose as a team and this time it was the driver but we have the Jegs All Star race in Chicago this weekend so we'll quickly get over this and move on" Shields said. The Shortline Express team thanks their sponsors Hussey Copper and NGK Spark Plugs for their continued support.
