Englishtown NJ - One would have to search the record books far and wide to find a driver that is completely undefeated in both national and divisional competition at the same track but Duane Shields has earned that distinction with his latest win in Englishtown, NJ. This past weekend at the Division 1 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series race, he stayed undefeated as he won the Top Alcohol Dragster class against a tough field of east coast cars. In addition to two national event wins he earned in 2002 and 2011, Shields also won a division race at E-Town in ‘02. Shields was happy to stay undefeated. “What I like about our winning streak is that both the national and divisional events are held at different times of the year so the conditions are different ” he said.
Shields qualified number one with a 5.32 at 276 MPH. In the first round he dispatched Richard Bourke to the trailer with an incredible 5.26 at 276 MPH to Bourke’s 5.45 at 264 MPH. Bourke got the lead off the starting line but Shields’ 5.26 was just too much for Bourke‘s starting line advantage to make up. “Richard Bourke had a good round against me at Indy so I knew we couldn’t take him lightly” Duane said.
In the semi finals, Duane raced Karen Stalba. “Karen beat me in Charlotte so that was weighing on my mind before we raced” he said. Both cars were out of the gate at nearly the same time with Stalba getting the edge with an .081 to Duane’s .082. The Shortline Express continued its parade of incredible performances as it passed Stalba’s car in the first sixty feet and widened the lead as the cars traveled down the race course. Shields recorded a sizzling 5.31 at 271 MPH to top Stalba’s respectable 5.40 at 264 MPH.
The final round would be a big one to see if Duane could stay undefeated as he faced east coast competitor John Finke. “Finke also beat me in Charlotte and I knew he wasn’t going to roll over for me” Duane mentioned. At the light, Shields left first with an 0.057 to Finke’s 0.067. Shields was able to maintain his lead and crossed the stripe first with a 5.32 at 272 MPH to stay undefeated in Englishtown. Finke had a valiant run but came up short with a 5.40 at 266 MPH.
Duane summed the weekend up this way: “It was a great weekend for the Shortline Express team as we ran low ET on every round. And, Not only did we stay undefeated but we got the national points lead back” he said. Duane would like to thank his team and sponsors Hussey Copper and NGK Spark Plugs for helping him achieve this incredible milestone.
Shields qualified number one with a 5.32 at 276 MPH. In the first round he dispatched Richard Bourke to the trailer with an incredible 5.26 at 276 MPH to Bourke’s 5.45 at 264 MPH. Bourke got the lead off the starting line but Shields’ 5.26 was just too much for Bourke‘s starting line advantage to make up. “Richard Bourke had a good round against me at Indy so I knew we couldn’t take him lightly” Duane said.
In the semi finals, Duane raced Karen Stalba. “Karen beat me in Charlotte so that was weighing on my mind before we raced” he said. Both cars were out of the gate at nearly the same time with Stalba getting the edge with an .081 to Duane’s .082. The Shortline Express continued its parade of incredible performances as it passed Stalba’s car in the first sixty feet and widened the lead as the cars traveled down the race course. Shields recorded a sizzling 5.31 at 271 MPH to top Stalba’s respectable 5.40 at 264 MPH.
The final round would be a big one to see if Duane could stay undefeated as he faced east coast competitor John Finke. “Finke also beat me in Charlotte and I knew he wasn’t going to roll over for me” Duane mentioned. At the light, Shields left first with an 0.057 to Finke’s 0.067. Shields was able to maintain his lead and crossed the stripe first with a 5.32 at 272 MPH to stay undefeated in Englishtown. Finke had a valiant run but came up short with a 5.40 at 266 MPH.
Duane summed the weekend up this way: “It was a great weekend for the Shortline Express team as we ran low ET on every round. And, Not only did we stay undefeated but we got the national points lead back” he said. Duane would like to thank his team and sponsors Hussey Copper and NGK Spark Plugs for helping him achieve this incredible milestone.
