Winternationals a Strong Beginning for Duane Shields and PEAK Team

Pomona CA - Duane Shields and the PEAK A/Fuel team returned to contender status at the Circle K NHRA Winternationals with a great performance which lasted through the semi-final round. Pomona was a welcome distraction for Duane who sadly lost his son Adam in a tragic motorcycle accident in January. “I’m happy the season has begun so we can start to move forward. Each day has been a struggle but we have to keep going and stay busy, we really have no other choice,” Duane said.

Duane qualified fourth with a 5.23 at 271 MPH and found himself on the tough side of the ladder. In round one, the PEAK team received a single when their opponent, Casey Grisel was a no show after breaking a crankshaft in qualifying. Duane got a little off pace on the run after losing traction and had to shut off early. He coasted to a 6.30 at only 165 MPH.

In round two, Duane took on the 2015 NHRA Series Champion Joey Severance. Severance had posted a 5.27 in round one so the PEAK team had to bring their A game to the starting line. At the hit it was Severance with the advantage off the line with an 0.036 reaction time to Duane’s 0.051. Severance began to lose traction on the run while the PEAK dragster was on a nearly perfect pass and stopped the clock with an impressive 5.24 at 275 MPH to advance to the next round.

In the semi-finals, Duane faced Don St. Arnaud, who made headlines with some stout performances all weekend including a 5.18 in qualifying. As the lights came down it was Duane who was out first with an 0.041 reaction time to St. Arnaud’s 0.057. At about 100 feet down track Duane began to lose traction and had to pedal while St. Arnaud was on another good run. At the finish line it was St. Arnaud scoring the win with a 5.24 at 284 MPH to Duane’s valiant 5.35 at 269 MPH. “Don always runs well at Pomona so we had to step it up but we were just a hair too aggressive. But you know what? The car performed well even in the unseasonably hot weather. I am very happy with how strong the car ran in the second and even the third round. And a semi-final round finish isn’t a bad way to start the season before we move on to Gainesville,” Duane said.

Even though Duane missed a visit to the final round, the Winternationals was therapeutic for popular Nevada driver. “We’re a big family out here and when something negative happens to someone we all support each other. A lot of the same people who stepped up to give our family comfort through this difficult time came over to visit us this weekend so there was no better place for us to be than here,” Duane said.

Duane would like to thank the loyal NHRA fans, racers, crew members, officials and sponsors for their continued support of the Shields family.