For Las Vegas retailer Duane Shields, the thrill of driving in a 250-mph drag race is outmatched only by taking the year’s most coveted prize.
A competitive man both in the convenience-store arena and as a driver in a national drag-racing circuit, Shields, owner of the 13-store Short Line Express Market chain, sees the sport as another way to tap into his penchant for adrenaline and victory.
Not unlike the hyper-paced c-store channel, winning auto races requires attention to detail.
“It’s a goal-oriented [sport] that involves team building,” Shields says. “You have to trust in other people to do the job correctly. There are definite correlations between racing and c-stores, that’s for sure.”
When asked about the risk involved—his latest victory meant reaching 272 mph on a quarter-mile course—Shields readily admits to the dangers.
“I’ve had some friends get killed,” he says. “But I have all the safety features out there and I don’t take it lightly. I ensure that everything is done correctly.
“It’s dangerous, but I could get hit walking across the street.”
His latest victory was undoubtedly sweet. It was the 50th Annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Auto Club Finals, held last fall in Pomona, Calif. It marked Shields’ fourth victory of the season, landing him sixth place overall in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series national point standings.
That win became his 20th national victory and his first in those particular finals. That’s not to say this was his best year ever: Shields ranked No. 1 nationally in 2011. He admits that ranking No. 6 was a letdown, “especially when you’ve been No. 1. But I did have a good year.”
For Shields, racing is a collaborative journey that includes his family, sponsors, crew and their families. He picked the circuit specifically for its family-friendly vibe and enjoys the community interaction that surrounds those tense, high-pressured moments leading into the actual race.
To those ends, his win in Pomona—or any race at that level—was no easy feat. Typically, the speedsters run on an unbelievably short track, with cars going faster than four times legal highway limits. Races are won in a blink in 5 seconds, with a fraction of a breath deciding victory.
At Pomona, Shields qualified by coming in ninth place initially, clocking in at 5.33 seconds and 266 mph, according to the racing club’s website.
In the first round, he faced Joey Severance, who swept two previous club races in Las Vegas. But Shields won to advance to the second round. Then he beat Chase Copeland with a 5.59 finish time at 256 mph.
Next up was a semifinal battle between Shields and Aaron Olivarez. Shields sprang out of the box first with a 0.058 sprint to Olivarez’s 0.076. As Olivarez began to lose traction, Shields ripped open a 5.29 at 272 mph, sending him into the final round.
“It was a good pass, but I had to pedal it,” Shields says.
In the fınals, Shields faced Cameron Ferre, who ran consistently quicker on each of the prior rounds, making for formidable competition.
At the start, Shields was again out first, with 0.052 to Ferre’s 0.061. As the cars thundered toward the finish line, both dragsters began to drop cylinders, but Shields held a sizable lead and crossed the stripe for his first NHRA Auto Club Finals title.
“I should have pedaled it, but I was on an adrenaline rush,” Shields told NHRA officials. “But the way we won this race was to get down the track on every pass. Some days the breaks go your way … and sometimes you can run really well but you don’t get the win.”
Looking ahead, Shields’ sponsor has renewed for two years. It’s a grueling path, running 18 races a year, traveling from California to New Jersey. But he sees the endeavor as an extension of his passion for business, with one sport fueling the other.
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