The Shortline Express Gets Back on Track with a 5.28 Blast

The Shortline Express Gets Back on Track with a 5.28 Blast

Gainesville - Even though Duane Shields and the Shortline Express team didn’t receive the outcome they were expecting at the 43rd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals, the team still recorded their best run of the year as they stopped the clock with a sizzling 5.28 at 273 MPH in the second round of qualifying. The run was temporarily good enough for the number one spot. By the time the ladder was set after the final round of qualifying, the reining 2011 Top Alcohol World Champion sat in the third qualifying position.

In round one of eliminations Duane raced number 14 qualifier Dave Hirata. At the hit Duane lost traction right off of the starting line and went up in smoke. Hirata in the other lane was long gone as he ran a 5.41 to take the win.

After the race, Duane discussed the current situation. ” We have an issue with the car and we think we know what the problem is. We planned on making some test runs on Monday to get the problem sorted out. But now the rain delay might prohibit us from making any test runs. We will just have to wait and see how long it takes to wrap up the remainder of the race.

While it was a difficult loss, the 5.28 pass at Gainesville gives the team some much needed confidence that the they are still right where they need to be and still have a lot of time to turn the season around. “We’re still competitive. We have the power and can run with anyone. We proved that. We just need to do some fine tuning and get the car more consistent.”

The Shortline Express Team would like to thank GRP Connecting Rods, NGK Spark Plugs and Molinari Racing Products for their continued support.