Gainesville, March 15, 2009 - For Duane Shields, qualifying on the pole usually means an early round exit. At the events where he qualifies in the middle of the pack he seems to do his best. So for the 40th Annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals, Shields came up with a new strategy: rather than run the best in qualifying, step back and improve the A/Fuel dragster's performance a little bit on each round.
The strategy paid off as Shields defeated Bill Reichert in the final to win his first ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals title. "I felt comfortable all weekend not being the number one qualifier. It seems like when we are the number one qualifier we often stumble. This time we gave the car some room to step up a little bit on every round" Shields said after the win.
Shields qualified sixth with an elapse time of 5.39. "The car was running a little inconsistent during qualifying and we had to get a handle on it" Shields said. Going into the first round Shields was optimistic but still knew his team needed to get better control on the car's performance. Shields was able to get out of the first round by beating Dan Mercier who posted a 6.22 to Shields' 5.38. That evening after winning the first round, Shields and the Shortline Express crew made some wholesale changes to the dragster.
In round two on Sunday, Shields took on Darryl Hitchman. Hitchman had some problems getting his car out of reverse as Shields patiently waited for him at the starting line. Finally, both cars were staged, and at the hit Shields had a quicker 0.081 reaction time to Hitchman's 0.147. It was all Shields down the length of the track as he posted a 5.36 at 268 MPH to cover Hitchman's slower 5.85 at 191MPH.
In the semifinals Shields took on Artie Allen from near by Jacksonville. "We hopped the car up before we ran Artie Allen as he beat us at the Gainesville divisional event" Shields said. Shields continued to run faster than the prior rounds and dipped into the twenties for the first time during the weekend. Allen got off the line first with an 0.068 to Shields' 0.074 reaction time, but at the stripe it was Shields getting the win with a 5.26 at 272 MPH to cover Allen's 5.38 at 259 MPH.
The semifinal win earned Shields the right to take on NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster Champion Bill Reichert. Shields had lane choice and chose the left lane while also coming up with a plan not to beat himself in the final. "We struggle with Reichert but we knew if we are consistent, have a good light and not beat ourselves we would have a chance. So all we can do is see how it plays out" Shields said. The game plan worked as Shields scored the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals victory. On his way to the title, Shields' Shortline Express dragster ran a blistering 5.28 while Reichert went up in smoke right off the starting line.
The ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals title was Shields' first win since his father, Lee Shields, passed away prior to the season. Duane made a special dedication to his father after the race. "I dedicate the win to my dad as racing was a big part of our relationship. Also, my daughter Whitney and her friend Britnay are here for spring break. They are both my good luck charm. I also want to thank Hussey Copper, NGK Spark Plugs and my crew, Dana and Sheryl Hopewell, Chris Zedaker, Bill Jones and Ralph Freeman. They did a great job this weekend getting the car into the Winner's Circle".
The strategy paid off as Shields defeated Bill Reichert in the final to win his first ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals title. "I felt comfortable all weekend not being the number one qualifier. It seems like when we are the number one qualifier we often stumble. This time we gave the car some room to step up a little bit on every round" Shields said after the win.
Shields qualified sixth with an elapse time of 5.39. "The car was running a little inconsistent during qualifying and we had to get a handle on it" Shields said. Going into the first round Shields was optimistic but still knew his team needed to get better control on the car's performance. Shields was able to get out of the first round by beating Dan Mercier who posted a 6.22 to Shields' 5.38. That evening after winning the first round, Shields and the Shortline Express crew made some wholesale changes to the dragster.
In round two on Sunday, Shields took on Darryl Hitchman. Hitchman had some problems getting his car out of reverse as Shields patiently waited for him at the starting line. Finally, both cars were staged, and at the hit Shields had a quicker 0.081 reaction time to Hitchman's 0.147. It was all Shields down the length of the track as he posted a 5.36 at 268 MPH to cover Hitchman's slower 5.85 at 191MPH.
In the semifinals Shields took on Artie Allen from near by Jacksonville. "We hopped the car up before we ran Artie Allen as he beat us at the Gainesville divisional event" Shields said. Shields continued to run faster than the prior rounds and dipped into the twenties for the first time during the weekend. Allen got off the line first with an 0.068 to Shields' 0.074 reaction time, but at the stripe it was Shields getting the win with a 5.26 at 272 MPH to cover Allen's 5.38 at 259 MPH.
The semifinal win earned Shields the right to take on NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster Champion Bill Reichert. Shields had lane choice and chose the left lane while also coming up with a plan not to beat himself in the final. "We struggle with Reichert but we knew if we are consistent, have a good light and not beat ourselves we would have a chance. So all we can do is see how it plays out" Shields said. The game plan worked as Shields scored the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals victory. On his way to the title, Shields' Shortline Express dragster ran a blistering 5.28 while Reichert went up in smoke right off the starting line.
The ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals title was Shields' first win since his father, Lee Shields, passed away prior to the season. Duane made a special dedication to his father after the race. "I dedicate the win to my dad as racing was a big part of our relationship. Also, my daughter Whitney and her friend Britnay are here for spring break. They are both my good luck charm. I also want to thank Hussey Copper, NGK Spark Plugs and my crew, Dana and Sheryl Hopewell, Chris Zedaker, Bill Jones and Ralph Freeman. They did a great job this weekend getting the car into the Winner's Circle".
