National Dragster: Breaking Vegas

Las Vegas native Duane Shields hopes to cash in at homecoming event

The city of Las Vegas has evolved from a desert gambling oasis to a world-renowned tourist destination that many call home. True to his surroundings, Duane Shields has grown from a 17-year-old motorcycle racer and 7-Eleven employee to a competitive driver/owner in the Top Alcohol Dragster ranks, owner of a convenience-store franchise, and proud father of two. Twenty-five years removed from his first motocross event, Shields would love to put on a show with his A/Fuel Dragster in front of his home crowd.

"[The NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals] is certainly a high-profile event for us," says Shields. "It's a chance for all of our friends and relatives to come see what we do, and it's also an opportunity to showcase our local sponsors."

Shields' racing career began on two wheels, when he competed in the motocross and desert racing arenas. He later switched to four wheels, racing at sand drag events, first in a dune buggy and later in a front-engine car that eventually ran on 30 percent nitro. All the while, Shields attended NHRA events in Las Vegas and Pomona. In 1997, he was ready to make the switch to asphalt - or so he thought.

"I had no idea of the workload that comes with these cars," admitted Shields. "It took time for me to gather the knowledge and finances necessary to have a good parts-rotation program. Sometimes I felt that I couldn't afford to buy the right parts, but I found that I spent less money in the long run when I did it right initially."

Shields noted real progress in his third season. He won the 1999 Autolite Nationals and became increasingly competitive in the coming years. His finest season was 2002, when he finished second in the national points standings, captured his first division crown, and scored two national event wins. One of those wins came in Englishtown, where his dominating performance was highlighted by a run of 5.263, the quickest by a Blown/Alcohol Dragster to date. Despite his success with that combination, Shields decided to switch to A/Fuel toward the end of the 2003 season and bought Tony Bartone's car turnkey.

"I'm very competitive," said Shields, "and I believed the A/Fuel cars had a performance advantage. To run 5.20s, which I absolutely believe you can do with the blown cars, you have to push the cars to the edge. Quite frankly, I thought that by switching to A/Fuel, I could run as fast or faster without as much parts attrition."

Another change meant another learning curve for Shields and company. He showed instant success by winning the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at his home track, but 2004 was plagued by a change that was made in the off-season. Six months passed before it was clear that the rear axle was the problem. Shields fixed the axle before the Sonoma event, and the results spoke for themselves. He won that event and the one that followed it, the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals in Seattle.

"Every change has a learning curve," said Shields. "The tuning window with the A/Fuel combination is so narrow that it makes it even more challenging."

Shields' successes can be partly attributed to his ability to surround himself with the right people. His racing ventures, which began as family operations, now include more outsiders than in years past. The switch to A/Fuel prompted Shields to acquire the services of seasoned tuner Dana Hopewell. The final piece of the puzzle was put in place prior to this season when Shields enlisted the help of Steve Boggs.

"Steve's knowledge base is proven with his championship wins in both alcohol classes," said Shields. "Add Dana's experience level with the A/Fuel combination and I believe I have the people who best understand A/Fuel on my team."

Just as things fell into place, another curve was thrown Shields' way. The NHRA rules committee limited cars running the A/Fuel combination to 98 percent nitromethane in order to create parity with the Blown/Alcohol Dragster combination. To compound the challenge of finding a new tune-up for the given rules, Shields' testing runs were for naught due to a fuel-mixture gauge that was out of calibration. In addition, valuable runs were lost when weather conditions cut qualifying short at his first two events.

"We're coming up on a three-race stretch, so it's kind of make-or-break time to get a handle on the tune-up," said Shields. "These cars can still run well under good conditions, but they are more weather sensitive and harder on parts due to the increase in fuel volume necessary to achieve good times. If we can get a solid grip on our tune-up in the coming races, we can start working on decreasing the parts attrition."

Shields is a fierce competitor on the racetrack, but he is also known for his involvement in the racing community. Racers and fans alike have always been welcomed in his pit area. His company, Short Line Express Markets, also sponsors the divisional event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Said Shields, "In the alcohol classes, you build a lot of relationships. I think that's the part that I've enjoyed the most."

There will be no shortage of stoppers-by at Shields' pit in Vegas this year. In addition to the friends and fellow racers who normally pay a visit will be as many as 80 local friends and relatives. If all goes well for Shields, this could result in one of the largest winner's circle celebrations in recent memory.

"If the weather is reasonable, our car should be able to show its true colors," said Shields. "We are certainly going there with the intention of winning the event. Vegas has been a real roller-coaster ride for us. When we won the divisional event in 2003, it was a big celebration. If we can win the national, it will be huge."

Like the bright neon lights that adorn the desert sky, Shields is set to make his presence felt in Las Vegas.