Quick Update... Our new PEAK Motor Oil A/fuel Dragster is wrapped and ready to go! We will debut the new car this weekend at the NHRA Kansas Nationals in Topeka!

Duane Advances to Quarter Finals in Houston

Houston TX - Even with a lot of distractions such as a shuffled schedule and a monsoon Saturday afternoon, the PEAK A/Fuel Dragster showed some much needed improvement as the team picked up a round win to advance to the quarterfinals in Houston, Texas at the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals.

Duane qualified 9th with a 5.82 at 236 MPH and was paired in round one with Aaron Olivarez who qualified 6th with a 5.48. At the hit, Olivarez got out of the hole first but Duane was able to pass him at 400 feet when Olivarez began dropping cylinders. Duane was able to increase his lead and take the win light with a winning time of 5.48 at 265 MPH to Olivarez's 6.04.

In the Quarterfinals, Duane faced Randy Meyer. As the lights came down, Meyer left first with Duane in hot pursuit. It was a close race all the way to the finish line but Meyer tripped the beam first and would go on to win the event. Meyer recorded a 5.42 at 268 MPH to Duane’s close 5.45 at 264 MPH. “The track was a little tricky and I had to pedal in the first round so I backed it down before the second round to avoid going up in smoke. Unfortunately, we backed it down a little too much but hindsight is always 20/20” Duane said.

The PEAK team has taken delivery of a new chassis and will debut it in Topeka, at the NHRA Summer Nationals. “I feel pretty good today that we are getting our momentum back. The car left the line without any traction problems and we should be in good shape by the time we are ready to make some runs in the new car” Duane explained.

Duane would like to thank his sponsors: PEAK Motor Oil, PEAK Antifreeze, Herculiner Truck Bed Liners, Blue DEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid and FINAL Charge Heavy Duty Truck Antifreeze, GRP Connecting Rods, NGK Spark Plugs, Molinari Race Products, Sierra Ice and Shortline Markets for their support.

 

 

PEAK Team Experienced Mixed Results in Virginia

Dinwiddie, Va. - It was a good news - bad news kind of weekend at the Virginia Motorsports Park for Duane Shields and the PEAK Motor Oil A/Fuel Dragster team. The good news is that the car made good consistent runs in qualifying. The bad news is that Duane lost traction in the first round and took a painful loss. “We made a lot of changes with some promising signs but we still need a win” Duane confessed.

The car demonstrated that the PEAK team is as competitive as ever. Duane qualified third with an impressive 5.43 at 256 MPH in a tough field where fifteen cars were battling it out to make it into a very tight eight car show and all but one of those cars were in the five second zone.

Prior to round one the track was spayed with traction compound and Duane and his opponent Wayne Morris were the first pair of cars out. At the hit, Duane shook hard and smoked the tires off the starting line and ran a disappointing 6.03 at 261 MPH while Morris recorded a 5.63 for the win. It would turnout that only one car in the same lane would hook up in round one which caused the team to suspect that the track surface may have been the problem. “It was abnormal, we don’t think it was the car since every car but one smoked the tires in the same lane. We believe it was the track. Maybe their mixture wasn’t quite right when they sprayed the track or perhaps it wasn’t completely dry when we ran” Duane reasoned.

Fortunately for the PEAK team, they won’t have any time to dwell on the loss as the team now heads to Charlotte for the Four Wide Nationals. “We are making some headway and the car made some strong runs this weekend. I’m confident things will go better in Charlotte” Duane said.

Duane would like to thank his sponsors: PEAK Motor Oil, PEAK Antifreeze, Herculiner Truck Bed Liners, Blue DEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid and FINAL Charge Heavy Duty Truck Antifreeze, GRP Connecting Rods, NGK Spark Plugs, Molinari Race Products, Sierra Ice and Shortline Markets.

 

Shields Makes a Hail Mary Pass to Qualify at Gatornationals

Gainesville FL - It all came down to the last qualifying session but Duane Shields and the PEAK Motor Oil A/Fuel Dragster team valiantly made the NHRA Gatornationals field with a respectable 5.44 at 266 MPH.

In the first round of qualifying, the car shook hard which caused the fuel line to come loose off of the pump and then in the second session Duane had to pedal resulting in a 5.51 pass which was not quick enough to make the field. The last ditch qualifying attempt landed the PEAK Dragster in the thirteen position. “On the final run we had to make sure the car ran well but we also did not want to over power the track” Duane said.

The Gatornationals Top Alcohol Dragster field was the toughest so far this season as twenty cars fought to make the 16 car field which produced a brutal 5.50 bump spot. “The southeastern U.S. is deep with strong competitors. Every team that we face on the east coast is tough” Duane added.

In round one, Duane faced Dan Mercier. At the light, Duane was out of the gate first with a 0.057 to Mercier’s 0.106. Unfortunately for Duane, the car shook forcing him to pedal which allowed Mercier to take the lead and make it the finish line first. Mercier took the stripe with a 5.32 at 268 MPH to Duane’s 5.51 at 267 MPH. “The car shook about one second into the run and Dan made a great pass so that was the end of it” Duane said.

Duane is confident that the recent problems will get sorted out soon. “Our team is good at overcoming obstacles. We are changing our engine combination before the next race. We are going back to out 2011 combo which we know will take us back to our competitive nature. There is still time to get back on top and we look forward to getting PEAK back in the winner circle”.

Duane would like to recognize his sponsors: PEAK Motor Oil, PEAK Antifreeze, Herculiner Truck Bed Liners, Blue DEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid and FINAL Charge Heavy Duty Truck Antifreeze, GRP Connecting Rods, NGK Spark Plugs, Molinari Race Products, Sierra Ice and Shortline Markets.

 

 

Race Team Exits Early at Phoenix Regional Event

Phoenix AZ - Duane Shields suffered a first round defeat at the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series regional event held at Firebird Raceway. Other than a chute that deployed itself at 1000 feet during the second round of qualifying, the PEAK Motor Oil A/Fuel Dragster ran well and ended up in the fifth position with a 5.42 at 267 MPH.

In round one, Duane was paired up with Joey Severance from Woodburn, Oregon. Severance qualified fourth with a 5.40 so on paper it looked like an evenly matched race between the two veteran racers. As the lights came down, Duane instantly went up in smoke while Severance made a clean pass to advance to the second round. “I was disappointed that we smoked the tires because the car ran good right out of the box. We we're surprised because the clutch went straight to lock up" Duane said.

The PEAK team looks to solve the problem and rebound at the NHRA Gatornationals in two weeks. "We don't know what caused the problem but we are going to figure it out and analyze it before Gainesville. What we're trying to do is make this a faster car so we have a wider range of tune up options" Duane explained.

Duane would like to congratulate PEAK teammate Jay Payne for winning the Top Alcohol Funny Car class in Phoenix and thank his sponsors: PEAK Motor Oil, PEAK Antifreeze, Herculiner Truck Bed Liners, Blue DEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid and FINAL Charge Heavy Duty Truck Antifreeze, GRP Connecting Rods, NGK Spark Plugs, Molinari Race Products, Sierra Ice and Shortline Markets.

Shields Reunites with Hopewell at Winternationals

Duane Shields returned to the O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries with a familiar face as crew chief Dana Hopewell along with his wife Sheryl reunited with the team after a one year absence. While it was not the reunion the team had hoped for, the PEAK Motor Oil A/Fuel Dragster team did show big signs of improvement by the time they reached the first round of eliminations.

Duane qualified 14th with a 5.65 at 253 MPH after struggling with traction problems in the prior two rounds of qualifying. Duane was looking for a better start to qualifying but questionable weather conditions prevented them from making any meaningful test runs the week prior in Las Vegas. “We started out rough but we improved on every pass” Duane acknowledged.

In round one, Duane faced Canadian Don St. Arnaud who qualified third with a 5.30. As the lights came down, St. Arnaud was off the line first but Duane picked up the pace as the cars charged down Parker Avenue. At the finish line it was St. Arnaud taking a narrow win with a 5.36 at 256 MPH to Duane’s 5.39 at 264 MPH. “We made a lot of changes before the first round and it ended up being a very close race so we are going in the right direction” Duane said.

Even with the first round loss, Duane is optimistic that he has a well rounded program for 2013 with PEAK Motor Oil on board and the return of the crew chief that helped him win the National Championship in 2011. “I can’t wait for the season to unfold with Dana Hopewell back as crew chief and Sheryl Hopewell back on the crew” he said.

Duane would like to welcome back his sponsors: PEAK Motor Oil, PEAK Antifreeze, Herculiner Truck Bed Liners, Blue DEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid and FINAL Charge Heavy Duty Truck Antifreeze, GRP Connecting Rods, NGK Spark Plugs, Molinari Race Products, Sierra Ice and Shortline Markets.

 

Duane Shields Shows Improvement at Auto Club Finals

Pomona - Duane Shields showed signs of improvement while still in “test mode” as he continues to sort out his new engine combination for next season while competing at the final event of the year, the NHRA Auto Club Finals. “This weekend went well. The tune up we have been working on is coming around and I’m encouraged” Shields said as he summed up the weekend. Duane stepped up big in qualifying as he qualified tenth in his PEAK Motor Oil A/Fuel Dragster with a respectable 5.38 at 261 MPH.

In round one Duane’s opponent was Don St. Arnaud from Edmonton Canada, who qualified seventh with a 5.35 so it was a fairly even match up. As the lights came down, both cars left the starting line together although St. Arnaud had a slight advantage off the line. As the cars reached mid track Duane had a commanding lead and maintained it all the way to the finish line. Duane stopped the clock with his best pass of the weekend, a sizzling 5.31 at 266 MPH to advance to the next round.

In the quarterfinal round, Duane was matched up with number two qualifier Chris Demke. At the hit Duane instantly went up in smoke, got off and then back on the throttle but had the same result. Meanwhile, Demke had a clean run to take the win. “Chris is running very well right now so we had to step it up in order to beat him. We just got a little two aggressive and smoked the tires” Duane said.

Duane is already looking forward to the 2013 season. “We are already in a great position going into next season and we look forward to representing PEAK Motor Oil and all of their associated brands including: PEAK Antifreeze, Herculiner Truck Bed Liners, Blue DEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid and FINAL Charge Heavy Duty Truck Antifreeze. We would also like to recognize GRP Connecting Rods, NGK Spark Plugs, Molinari Race Products, Sierra Ice and Shortline Markets for their continued support of our team”.

 

 

Duane Shields Looks for Redemption in Pomona while Staying in Testing Mode

Pomona CA - Duane Shields and his PEAK Motor Oil racing team will be looking for some redemption at the NHRA Auto Club Finals after a pair of disappointing outings in Las Vegas where the car did not qualify. "They were tight fields and even some of the national contenders did not qualify" Duane Said. Unlike Vegas, Pomona has been kind to Duane so it’s more than likely he will bounce back at the season ending race.

The famous track which is the home of both the Winternationals and the Auto Club Finals is where Duane sewed up the NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster Championship last year in a season ending thriller that went down to the wire. Also, Duane is a two time NHRA Winternationals Champion, winning the event in 2011 and in 2006.

Duane is confident of another respectable finish at the Auto Club Finals “We plan to go into Pomona and end the season on a high note. We have had lots of good luck in Pomona but the Finals is one of the only major events I have yet to win” said Duane, who scored a runner up finish at the Finals in 2007.

Duane also plans to continue to test a new engine combination so he can be ready in advance of the 2013 season “Right now we are in test mode. We installed a new engine right after the Las Vegas nationals and tested it this past weekend at the divisional. It’s a sensitive combination because it has a lot of power but it can also cause the car to smoke the tires. We are still learning the tune up and will continue to test in Pomona. I might as well get ready for next year since there will not be much movement in the points standings. Some times you have to go backward to go forward” Duane admitted.

The Las Vegas divisional event was still very fulfilling for Duane and his wife Betsy, as their daughter Whitney had a great performance in the Super Comp class. Whitney advanced all the way to the third round where she unfortunately red lit against National Champion Steve Williams in the K&N car. “Whitney did a great job driving this weekend we are real proud of her” Duane said.

Duane would like to thank his sponsors: PEAK Motor Oil, PEAK Antifreeze, Herculiner Truck Bed Liners, Blue DEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid and FINAL Charge Heavy Duty Truck Antifreeze, GRP Connecting Rods, NGK Spark Plugs, Molinari Race Products, Sierra Ice and Shortline Markets for their support.

 

Duane Shields Makes it to Semi Finals at Maple Grove Raceway

Duane Shields had a respectable showing at the 28th annual Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals. The race held at Maple Grove Raceway holds a special place for Duane, who drives the PEAK Motor Oil sponsored A/Fuel Dragster. “Other than the rain we love racing at Maple Grove because we have a big fan base here” Duane said.

In qualifying, Duane didn’t disappoint his loyal fans as he qualified sixth with a strong 5.39 at 266 MPH.

In the opening round of eliminations, Duane took on Marty Thacker. Unfortunately forThacker, he left the line early which automatically gave the win to the PEAK Motor Oil team. Duane posted a 5.36 at 265 MPH on the run.

Moving on to the second round, Duane was matched up against Richard Bourke. At the hit Duane was out of the gate first with a 0.033 to Bourke’s 0.078. Duane would end up winning the round at both ends of the track with a 5.31 at 264 MPH to Bourke’s close 5.34 at 263 MPH.

In the semi-final round, Duane faced fellow west coast racer Chris Demke. As the lights of the tree came down, Demke got off of the starting line first as Duane’s throttle hung open causing him to smoke the tires. Duane was able to close the throttle by pulling it back with his foot but by this time Demke was long gone even though he popped the blower at 1000 feet. “We were disappointed we lost that round considering Demke banged the blower. That was the first time that has ever happened. We thought we were really making some headway and we were happy with how the car ran. It’s a fine line, we didn’t want to overpower the track so we took some power out of the tune up. We just took to much power out” Duane explained.

Duane would like to thank his sponsors: PEAK Motor Oil, PEAK Antifreeze, HerculinerTruck Bed Liners, Blue DEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid and FINAL Charge Heavy Duty Truck Antifreeze, GRP Connecting Rods, NGK Spark Plugs, Molinari Race Products, Sierra Ice andShortline Markets for their support.

Duane Shields Takes an Early Loss in Charlotte

Charlotte, NC - Duane Shields had to settle for an early round loss in Charlotte after winning the biggest race of his career, the NHRA US Nationals one week prior. “We would like to have gone farther into eliminations but to be truthful we’re still happy that we won Indy and no other race compares with that” Duane said.

Duane qualified his PEAK Motor Oil sponsored A/Fuel Dragster in the fourth position by recording a 5.39 at 265 MPH. In round one, Duane faced Mike Burns who had qualified eighth with a 5.52 at 258 MPH.

Burns took his sweet time staging the car and finally rolled in the beams just under the allowable seven second staging rule. As the light went green, Burns was quickest off the starting line with an 0.007 reaction time. Duane was in hot pursuit all the way to the finish line but it wasn’t enough to cover Burns’ reaction time. Burns crossed the finish line with 17 feet to spare and scored the hole shot win.

Even though Duane wasn’t disappointed he lost the race he was disappointed with Burn’s staging etiquette. “Burns hung us out at the starting line looking for an upset. He played games up at the line. If he wants to play games then he should stay home and play Monopoly” Duane said. From here the team takes a break before competing at Maple Grove.

Duane would like to thank his sponsors: PEAK Motor Oil, PEAK Antifreeze, Herculiner Truck Bed Liners, Blue DEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid and FINAL Charge Heavy Duty Truck Antifreeze, GRP Connecting Rods, NGK Spark Plugs, Molinari Race Products, Sierra Ice and Shortline Markets for their support.

 

 

Duane Shields Reaches the PEAK to Win First Mac Tools NHRA US Nationals Title

Photos by Dave Smith

Indianapolis, IN - After three prior times of making it to the final round, Duane Shields finally won the Mac Tools NHRA US Nationals after almost not qualifying for the event. Because of heavy rain that plagued the race on Labor day weekend, it didn’t appear that Duane Shields would make it into the show let alone the Winner’s Circle. The event was reduced to just two qualifying sessions due to numerous weather delays and Duane’s 5.58 was just shy of the 5.56 needed to qualify. But since it continued to rain, NHRA officials decided to reschedule the remainder of the event for the following weekend which opened the door for Duane to get another shot at qualifying. Not only did Duane qualify but he finally got his elusive win. “It feels great to be the US Nationals Champion and our plan finally came together” Duane said after winning the "Big Go".

As a result of the week long postponement, the PEAK Motor Oil team was short on help so long time crewman Ralph Freeman set the clutch and did the starting line procedure while Duane tuned the car. “Our plan was to be conservative and just get the car down the track. The conditions were marginal on Saturday but we were able to be a little more aggressive on Sunday since the conditions were better and more consistent” Duane said.

Duane was able to get into the field with a much improved 5.46, which was good enough for the 11th qualifying position. He then faced Dan Page in the opening round. Duane was first out of the gate with a 0.067 reaction time and never looked back as he stopped the clock with a 5.51 at 260 MPH to take the win. Page had problems and coasted to the finish line. In round two, Duane made a single when his opponent Robin Samsel couldn’t get his car into reverse. Looking for lane choice, Duane ran it out the back door and posted an impressive 5.40 at 263 MPH to move on to the next round.

In the semi finals Duane took on Dave Heitzman in his closest race of the day. Once again, Duane got off of the starting line first with a 0.078 to Heitzman’s 0.101. However, Heitzman quickly passed the PEAK Motor Oil Dragster before Duane was able to regained the lead just before the finish line and won the round by less than a car length. Duane’s 5.41 at 267 MPH was just enough to cover Heitzman’s 5.42 at 264 MPH.

The finals came down to Duane and Sidnei Frigo. Even though Duane had been in a US Nationals final round three times, he was feeling confident that he would soon win his first US Nationals title on the fourth try. “Sidnei had the car to beat over the last couple of weeks so we had to be on our game. But, I felt good all day and was confident going into the final even though we stayed conservative on the tune up” Duane observed.

As the lights came down Frigo got off the line first with an excellent 0.014 reaction time but smoked the tires. Duane had a slower 0.038 reaction time but made a clean pass and charged to his first US Nationals victory posting a 5.43 at 267 MPH to Frigo’s 5.85 at 228 MPH. "This is unbelievable! What a turn around going from almost not qualifying to winning Indy! In the past we have had the quickest car here and didn’t win. This year we didn’t have the quickest car but we had one of the most consistent cars. What’s even better is that we won Indy while unveiling PEAK Motor Oil as our new title sponsor” Duane said.

Duane thanked both his new and existing sponsors: PEAK Motor Oil, PEAK Antifreeze, Herculiner Truck Bed Liners, Blue DEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid and FINAL Charge Heavy Duty Truck Antifreeze, GRP Connecting Rods, NGK Spark Plugs, Molinari Race Products, Sierra Ice and Shortline Markets for their tremendous support. “I’m proud to be sponsored by PEAK. They have high quality products and we are now the US Nationals Champions. I look forward to representing PEAK for years to come.”

Duane Shields Announces Major Sponsorship with PEAK Motor Oil and Old World Industries

Indianapolis, IN - Defending NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster Champion, Duane Shields, announced at the Mac Tools NHRA US Nationals that he recently entered into a major sponsorship agreement with Old World Industries, the maker of PEAK Motor Oil.

Duane’s A/Fuel Dragster now displays the PEAK Motor Oil logo as the primary sponsor. Other Old World Industries products including: PEAK Antifreeze, Herculiner Truck Bed Liners, Blue DEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid and FINAL Charge Heavy Duty Truck Antifreeze will also have a major presence on the car and will be a big part of the team’s marketing efforts.

Duane is very pleased to have the Chicago based company on board for the remainder of the 2012 season and beyond. “I am very excited to have Old World Industries as our major marketing partner and we will work as hard for them as we do getting the car into the winner’s circle” Duane said.

Old World Industries joins existing sponsors GRP Connecting Rods, NGK Spark Plugs, Molinari Race Products, Sierra Ice and Shortline Markets.

 

 

 

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