Demke goes to the finals at Woodburn
Courtesy of Maddern Racing
Woodburn, OR – Whenever you go fishing there are a few things that are bound to happen. Sometimes you catch your limit, and sometimes the big one gets away. At their first trip ever to Woodburn Dragway, Chris Demke and the Maddern Racing Team came
away with a few keepers, but the catch of the day eluded them. That’s fishing, or in this case, Drag Racing.
The weekend started out with a whopper. In the first round of qualifying the Peen Rite / OSI / 801 Racing Dragster ripped off a 5.322/269.86. That blast put them in the number one qualifying position. It also gave them the track record at Woodburn Dragway. This was the kind of statement the Team was looking to make.
They serviced the car and returned to the line in anticipation of lowering the record. In the second qualifying session, there was a tug on the line, but it wasn’t the big fish. A wire had come loose and the car coasted down the track. Back in the pits, the wire was zip tied in place. The decision was then made to sit out the third qualifying session, as they still held the top spot.
Sunday saw the Maddern Racing Team geared up for an expected good day of fishing. The car was quick, and they knew they had something for the competition. The first round of eliminations held a chance to cast all their lines with a bye run. The car responded with a 5.338/265.87.
In the second round, Chris Demke was up against Megan McKernan. A 5.350 at 267.45 was laid out on the table to McKernan’s 5.396 at 266.42. So far it was a good day of fishing; they had two keepers in the boat, and it was time to go for the big one. The final round match up saw Gregg Lawrence in the other lane. Demke got a sizable advantage at the start, but then the car hazed the tires. Tire shake followed, which caused the same wire that came out in round two of qualifying to pull out of the connector. Demke could only sit and watch as Lawrence raced to the victory, his victory. This would be the one that got away.
“Running as well as we did really says something about the ability of our car and Team,” said Demke. “The car ran some really great numbers, and getting the track record at Woodburn Dragway is special. I love this track. It’s so smooth and well prepared. It was also great to connect with so many great fans. I have never been here, but the fans knew me. On the return road they were at the fence cheering us all the time. I just wish we could have landed the big one.”
The 2012 Woodburn Regional race will be remembered by the Maddern Racing crew as a missed opportunity to get a win and the points that are associated with it. It will also be remembered as a great weekend of racing a track record run, two passes in the 5.30’s, and a shot in the finals. As fish tales go, this could be remembered as the one that got away. But it’s not the end of the season, just the end of this fishing trip. Now it’s on to another pond, and the opportunity to land a few more keepers. That elusive big fish is still swimming, and Chris Demke and the Maddern Racing gang are not going to quit until it’s theirs.
