Baytown final summary

SHIELDS, HARKER LEAD LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES WINNERS AT O'REILLY SPRING NATIONALS

Top Alcohol Dragster pilot Duane Shields won his second NHRA national event of the season this weekend, taking home the hardware from the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas, while Steve Harker wheeled his Top Alcohol Funny Car to his second final round of the year, this time coming away with the win.

Shields, a resident of Boulder City, Nev., qualified in the No. 8 spot and squared off against No. 3 qualifier Chris Demke, Sunland, Calif., in the final. Demke was disqualified when his car crossed the centerline but Shields made a 5.360-second, 265.17 mph pass, which was his slowest in eliminations. Each of Demke's elimination rounds had been getting quicker and all of the were in the low-.30s

Harker, the Gainesville, Ga., racer who finished No. 2 in the national point standings last year, lead the TAFC class from start to finish. On his way to the winner's circle Harker was the No. 1 qualifier and recorded the class's best E.T. and best speed of the weekend. However, he may have gotten lucky in the final when runner-up Marty Nothstein, of Orefield, Pa., red-lighted. Harker made a 5.638-second, 227.31 mph pass to Nothstein's 5.619-second, 259.51 mph lap.

In Comp Eliminator, Jacklyn Gebhardt-Still, Jacksonville, Ill., ousted Glen Treadwell of Sorrento, Fla., to take the win and Houston's Kenny Doughty earned the win in Stock Eliminator, beating out Ashland, Va., racer Anthony Bertozzi. Tommy Phillips of Forney, Texas, earned the win in Super Comp, defeating Al Kenny, Kingston, Ont., in the final. Phillips is fresh off a rare double win (Super Comp, Super Gas) last week at the Jegs Cajun Sportsnationals. Kemp, Texas's David Jones beat Steve Cohen, Trilby, Fla., in the final round of Super Gas and Craig Abbott of Strawn, Texas, grabbed the Super Street win over Greg Parson of Whitehouse, Texas.

-credit: nhra