Maddern Racing
Demke Going After Third Gatornationals Wally
from their Southern California shop towards Florida, going after their third NHRA Gatornationals trophy. The excitable Demke is eager to return to Auto-Plus Raceway to further his place in Gatornationals history and start playing with the east coast A/Fuelers for the first time this season.
Chris and his Peen Rite/OSI/Boost Performance Products team made the trek to Gainesville twice in the past few years, returning to California with the Wally both times.
Demke Reaches Phoenix Semifinal, Maintains Points Lead
CHANDLER, AZ – Plagued with mechanical problems early in the weekend, Top Alcohol Dragster driver Chris Demke struggled to 
qualify and went out in the semifinals at the West Region opener at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park last weekend. The race paled in comparison to Demke’s dominating performance at the Winternationals just weeks ago.
Demke was unable to make representative runs in both of Friday’s qualifying sessions. The Peen Rite/OSI/Boost Performance Products dragster was making plenty of power, but it couldn’t properly transfer the power to the Hoosier racing slicks.
Demke Seeking Fourth Phoenix Win
CHANDLER, AZ – Recent Winternationals Top Alcohol Dragster champion Chris Demke is off to new and improved Wild Horse 
Pass Motorsports Park to kick off the 2014 LODRS West Region season this weekend. Formerly Firebird Raceway, Wild Horse Pass recently underwent renovations, including a new track surface.
“I’m excited to go to Phoenix – it’s under new management and they’ve made several improvements. I’m eager to race on their new track surface,” Demke said about the Arizona facility.
Chris’ enthusiasm for his return to the Phoenix-area track is multiplied because it was the site of his first race win ten years ago, the first of back-to-back-to-back Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park wins.
Demke Opens 2014 with Dominating Winternationals Victory
POMONA, CA – Top Alcohol Dragster championship hopeful Chris Demke opened his 2014 season with a dominating win at the 
NHRA Circle K Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway last weekend. His Peen Rite/OSI/Boost Performance Products blown alcohol dragster was the quickest TAD all weekend, running 5.21 in Q3 and staying in the twenties through eliminations.
“It was a surprise but it was a great feeling,” Demke said of his car’s performance. “Testing before Pomona didn’t go so well but I knew the car had potential. I was confident in the information we acquired last year and the tune-up decisions we made in the offseason.”
The weekend started slow for the California driver, as he smoked the tires on Friday’s only qualifying run. The Adam Rhoades-tuned dragster made up for it on the next two runs, 5.34 and 5.218 at a booming 276.46 MPH, tied for the fourth-quickest blown alcohol run and second-fastest blown speed. That run made Demke the No. 1 qualifier by six hundredths.
Demke Starting Championship Bid at Winternationals
POMONA, CA – Top Alcohol Dragster national championship runner-up Chris Demke enters the 2014 season with possibly the best championship chances he’s ever had. The popular driver has a proven race car underneath him and his most formidable opponent is no longer competing in the TAD class.
Demke, who has been runner-up in the national championship for three of the last four years, started the 2013 season with a car that was new to his Maddern Racing team. The California-based group took their new car to ten finals, winning two of them. Now with a full season of experience with the car, Chris is extremely comfortable and confident in the Peen Rite entry.
Demke’s Season Ends in Second Round at Pomona
POMONA, CA – A second round loss at the AAA Finals at Auto Club Raceway was definitely not what Chris Demke had in mind when he envisioned the final race of his 2013 season. The popular Top Alcohol Dragster driver isn’t used to early round losses, as he has reached the finals at six of his ten national event starts this season. With the points situation already played out, Demke and his Peen Rite team took the chance to test new ideas for next season.
“I would’ve liked to go out with a bang rather than a whimper, but you can’t win them all. We had second place in national points locked up and we couldn’t go around Jim (Whiteley) for the championship. We took the opportunity to test some things. It’s not often that you get to test on a high-quality track like Pomona. This team is always trying to win, even in test mode, but it just wasn’t in the cards,” Chris claimed.
Defending Finals Champ Demke Ready to Strike Again
POMONA, CA – TAD national championship runner-up Chris Demke and his Southern California-based Maddern Racing team will finish their 2013 season “at home” where it began – Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Demke, the defending NHRA Finals event champion, enters the race with possibly the best car he’s had all season.
“I’m very excited to finish the season this weekend. Our current tune-up, which worked very well at Las Vegas, should exceed our expectations at Pomona. Both the national and regional championships have been decided so all we need to focus on now is continuing to improve our performance and defend our Finals title,” Chris said.
Tuner Adam Rhoades concurred, adding, “We learned a lot at Las Vegas. The car is responding to changes. I’m actually really excited for Pomona because I think our car is one hundred percent back to where it was a year ago. We should be able to go out there and run low five-twenties this weekend.”
Mechanical Problems Halt Demke in Las Vegas Regional Semifinals
LAS VEGAS, NV – Mechanical gremlins stopped Chris Demke from adding a (nth) regional final round and tenth final overall to his 
2013 scorecard at last weekend’s Las Vegas Gambler Shootout Divison 7 Finale at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Demke’s Peen Rite Top Alcohol Dragster was on its way to a semifinal victory over two-time national champion Jim Whiteley before a faulty fuel line grenaded his motor.
Qualifying for the eight-car regional event field was a challenge in itself. Nineteen blown alcohol and nitro-injected dragsters showed up to fight their way into the field. Chris was able to make a run worthy of the top half of the field, 5.306 at 270 MPH to rank third.
Demke Takes Runner-Up in Nat. Championship, Toyota Nationals
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend. The California-based Maddern Racing team qualified No. 1 and performed well throughout eliminations, but came up short to Jim Whiteley in the national championship and the final round.Demke Chasing National Championship from Behind in Vegas
LAS VEGAS, NV – As the 2013 season starts to wind down, Top Alcohol Dragster standout Chris Demke is fighting to keep his 
remaining national championship hopes alive. Entering this weekend’s Toyota NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway trailing points leader Jim Whiteley by 72 points puts Demke in a tough position, but his Jerry Maddern-led Peen Rite team has what it takes to come from behind.
“We’re a real long-shot, but that’s what makes it fun. Jim Whiteley can win the championship with a semifinal finish here. There’s a good chance that he will do that, but if he doesn’t, I’ll need to win Vegas and Pomona to win the championship by two points. We’ll do everything in our power to make that happen,” Demke said.
