Dallas Runner-Up Chris Demke Chasing Second National Championship at Toyota Nationals

Dallas Runner-Up Chris Demke Chasing Second National Championship at Toyota Nationals

LAS VEGAS (October 28, 2015) – The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway has never been a particularly successful track for Chris Demke and the Maddern Racing Top Alcohol Dragster team. The defending NHRA Lucas Oil Series national champion will need to change that at the NHRA Toyota Nationals this weekend, though, as he's in a tight points battle with Joey Severance, who is known to nearly dominate The Strip.

“Even Jim Whiteley pointed that out to me after Dallas, and I responded with, 'Who won the last NHRA event at Las Vegas? Who stopped Joey's streak?' Well, that was the Peen Rite/Boost Performance Products dragster. We just want to pick up where we left off. We don't typically do as well as we'd like there, but our backs are against the wall. We'll see how it goes,” Demke said.

Demke is coming off of an explosive performance at the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals in Dallas, where he went 5.225, 5.185 and 5.215 in eliminations before backfiring the supercharger upon start-up in the final round.

“That was the best set of runs that this car has ever made, then that 5.18 capped it off. That is the second quickest blown alcohol dragster pass in history. When Joey Severance red lit in the first round and I ran the 5.18, I had high hopes. I figured we'd be bringing home the Wally and I'd be getting a cowboy hat. It didn't work out that way, though. The engine was popping and banging when we tried to start it for the finals Kevin goosed it to try to clear it out. It knocked the blower off at the start. A $5 part in the magneto broke and was sending spark to random cylinders. It just wasn't meant to be,” admitted Demke, who went on to congratulate his opponent, Bill Litton, on his first NHRA event win.

Despite the strong performance, Demke and the Peen Rite/Boost Performance Products team expected more. The California-based team will continue to push the limits of their blown alcohol dragster as the 2015 season winds down.

“We didn't get as many points as we had hoped, but that's how this year has been. We've given Joey many chances to overtake us, and of course he's returned the favor on a few occasions. We have great expectations for the performance of our car based on Dallas. It's going to take a whole lot of luck to hold on to the lead. Whatever happens, happens. I'm just going to go out there and have fun.

“It's going to be a busy few weeks with the Toyota Nationals, Las Vegas regional and World Finals back-to-back-to-back. I'm just looking forward to finishing out the year strong.”

Top Alcohol Dragster competition at the NHRA Toyota Nationals, October 29-November 1, begins with two qualifying sessions on Friday and one on Saturday morning. Eliminations begin with first round on Saturday afternoon and continue on Sunday. ESPN2 will air their Lucas Oil Series coverage of the event on Sunday, November 8th at 1 PM ET.


Maddern Racing is a family-owned and operated NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster team based in Southern California. The team's Chris Demke-driven Peen Rite/Boost Performance Products blown alcohol dragster is owned by Jerry Maddern and crewed by Adam Rhoades, Kevin Watson, Mike Demke, Greg Rice, and Robert Hadaller. For more information on Chris Demke and Maddern Racing, please visit www.MaddernRacing.com.

Maddern Racing receives support from the following companies: Peen Rite Inc., Boost Performance Products, B-G Detection, Afco, LA X-Ray, Hoosier Racing Tires, and Morningwood Energy Drink.