Maddern Racing
Chris Demke, Maddern Racing Win 2014 NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster National Championship
MOHNTON, PA – When a fan or fellow competitor mentions Chris Demke’s name in the same sentence as Top Alcohol Dragster champions like 
Bill Reichert or Duane Shields, the excited yet humble Californian doesn’t always realize he’s reached that status. He came close multiple times in the last few years, finishing second in national points after three of the last four seasons. Now a few days after he won the delayed semifinal race from Charlotte, therefore clinching the title, the reality is starting to set in for Demke; he’s the 2014 NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster world champion.
“After winning the championship on Friday night, I still had to think about winning the Charlotte race and now I’m still thinking about the Maple Grove race. While we did celebrate the championship on Friday night, I haven’t had time to relax and think about the accomplishment. It could’ve been a larger celebration, but we knew we still had two races left to win,” Demke noted.
Demke Within Two Round Wins of First National Championship at NHRA Nationals
MOHNTON, PA – Top Alcohol Dragster national championship contender Chris Demke didn’t anticipate a stop at the NHRA Nationals at Maple 
Grove Raceway until he fell a couple rounds short of clinching the title at the last race in Dallas. Demke, who would’ve locked up the championship with a win at Dallas, lost to title rival Joey Severance in the semifinals due to a broken blower belt. This weekend, the California native is competing in two races – the remainder of eliminations from the Pep Boys NHRA Carolina Nationals and the NHRA Nationals.
“The Charlotte make-up race counts as my tenth race and the last race I can claim for points. While I’m here at Maple Grove, I’m really only thinking about Charlotte. Although we brought enough oil and parts to run both races, our first focus is winning the Charlotte race,” Demke claimed.
This weekend will be a test for the recently successful Demke and his Maddern Racing teammates, who won several races during the hot summer months. With cool temperatures expected throughout the NHRA Nationals, the Peen Rite team will be faced with conditions they haven’t seen in months.
Demke Could Clinch National Championship at Fall Nationals
ENNIS, TX – Three-time Top Alcohol Dragster national championship runner-up Chris Demke is within striking distance of his first national 
title. A win at this weekend’s AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex is all it would take for Demke to clinch the championship. The Californian driver won five of his recent races, as well as the first round of the delayed Carolina Nationals at Charlotte. The Peen Rite/OSI/Boost Performance Products driver has Charlotte in the mirror and has switched his focus to winning a championship.
“I thought I had to go to Charlotte and Dallas to have a chance at wrapping up the championship. I figured since Charlotte was delayed there was no way I could lock it up at Dallas, but that’s not the case. So now I’m excited. I can just taste it. It’s certainly not a guarantee; it’s a tall order. I’m just thrilled to be in this position,” said the excitable Demke.
Demke Taking Hot Streak to Pep Boys Carolina Nationals
Dragway this weekend. The 2014 NHRA U.S. Nationals champion and his Maddern Racing teammates are continuing a season-long road trip in search of their first national championship. With a healthy points lead and only a handful of events left in the season, Demke wants to stay hot.
“Momentum is important,” he said. “The thrill of winning a national event certainly lasts a lot longer with Indy, but it’s time to get back to business, put that win behind us and focus on Charlotte. I only have two claimable races left so I need to make the most of my opportunities.”
Demke Claims Meaningful U.S. Nationals Victory
BROWNSBURG, IN – After multiple close attempts at the biggest race of the year, NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster driver Chris Demke 
can finally call himself a U.S. Nationals champion. He won the event as a crew member in the past. Demke, the current national points leader, has won races from California to Florida and everywhere in between, but a win as a driver at the prestigious “Big Go” has eluded him to this point.
“Our team won the U.S. Nationals in 1998 with Darren Nicholson driving, and that was huge. It was our second race win ever and our first national event win. I won then as a crew member but I’ve always wanted to win it as a driver. I knew with our car’s recent performance that we always had a chance. We struggled a little – struggled is a relative term – but in the end the Wally is ours. It’s an incredible feeling; indescribable,” Demke exclaimed.
Demke Riding Four-Race Win Streak into U.S. Nationals
upcoming 60th Annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals near Indianapolis. Demke and his Maddern Racing team treated their most recent event, the Topeka regional race, as a test session for Indy and ended up in the winner’s circle. They look to have similar success at “the Big Go”.
The Peen Rite-sponsored car and driver had one of their more impressive outings of the 2014 season at Topeka. Demke qualified No. 1 with a 5.325 and stayed in the five-thirties through eliminations. Both man and machine were quick and consistent, with Chris cutting .031, .044 and .043 lights. The California-based dragster ripped off 5.375, 5.320 and 5.336 elapsed times to secure the event win.
Demke Wins Seattle Regional, Adds Topeka Regional to Schedule
TOPEKA, KS – Top Alcohol Dragster star Chris Demke claimed his third regional event win of the season last weekend when he won the NHRA Lucas Oil Series West Region race at Pacific Raceways. Just weeks removed from reaching the finals at the O’Reilly NHRA Northwest Nationals, also at Seattle, Demke beat two northwest blown alcohol drivers and a fellow SoCal resident to win his third regional event in as many attempts. Now Chris and the Peen Rite team head east for two weeks of Midwest racing in Kansas and Indiana.
Demke qualified at the Seattle regional event in the No. 2 spot with a 5.273 at 273 MPH. He was a few thousandths of a second shy of repeating in the first round against Kim Parker, winning with a 5.278. A quick pedal was necessary to beat local hero Shawn Cowie in a 5.357 to 5.436 semifinal decision. Chris again had to pedal the Peen Rite entry in the final round but opponent Johnny Ahten, who ran 5.22 and 5.20 earlier in the weekend, smoked the tires. Demke took the win with a 5.348 elapsed time.
Seattle Regional Champ Demke is Back for More
KENT, WA – A recent runner-up finish at the NHRA Northwest Nationals is fresh on the mind of Chris Demke as he returns to Pacific Raceways for this weekend’s NHRA Lucas Oil Series West Region race. The Maddern Racing team is equipped with solid data from the national event, and they’re eager to improve in this weekend’s better predicted conditions. Demke is confident in his Peen Rite Top Alcohol Dragster’s ability to make quick, clean runs down the race track, but he’s also wary of his competition, especially the nitro-burning racers.
“The weather is possibly going to be cooler. I expect the A/Fuel cars to step up accordingly. I’m sure they’ve all gained data from the national event, and with that knowledge they’ll refine their tune-ups and step it up a bit. But based on our performance at Seattle, I think we have something for them,” claimed Demke, who won this event last year.
Demke Streaks to Northwest Nationals Runner-up Finish
SEATTLE, WA – In a battle between two of the baddest blown alcohol dragsters in the country, Chris Demke came up just a little 
short to points rival Joey Severance. The two west coast hitters were racing in the final round at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways last weekend. While he lost the race, Demke maintained his national points lead and rediscovered a high level of performance.
Demke’s Peen Rite/Operational Solutions/Boost Performance Products Top Alcohol Dragster was laying down consecutive five-twenty passes through qualifying, progressing with runs of 5.29, 5.27 and 5.26 to qualify number two behind Severance. Strong passes continued as eliminations started, first ousting Los Angeles firefighter Johnny Ahten in the first round with a 5.31, then Shawn Cowie with a 5.28. The Jerry Maddern-led team turned up the wick for the semifinals, beating Garrett Bateman’s 5.32 with a 5.26. Chris’ quickest run of the weekend would be in the final round. He streaked to a 5.251 at 273 MPH but Joey Severance’s 5.238 ET and quicker reaction time were enough to take the Northwest Nationals victory.
Demke Returns to West Coast for Northwest Nationals
SEATTLE, WA – Maddern Racing driver Chris Demke returns to the west coast this weekend for the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA 
Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, August 1-3. He brings with him the Top Alcohol Dragster national points lead, as well as Wallys from recent wins at Billings, Chicago and Columbus. Momentum and a history of success at Seattle will fuel the California team as they race for national event win number three of the season.
“This is a continuation of that road trip. The car hasn’t been back to the shop since it left for Topeka in May. Certainly these last few races have squared our shoulders and given our team a bit of a swagger, but I can’t discount the competition that’s going to be at Seattle. It’s the same bunch of guys that we avoided by going to Columbus instead of Woodburn. Now we’re going to face the facts that we have to race these guys. We’re going to give it our best. It won’t be easy but I think we have a good tune-up for Seattle,” Demke claimed.
Realizing the potential of the competition, Chris Demke knows that his team can’t miss a step as the 2014 season reaches the tail end of the summer stretch.
