Mechanical Problems Halt Demke in Las Vegas Regional Semifinals

Courtesy of NVW Motorsports Promotion
Photo courtesy of Images LTD

LAS VEGAS (November 5) – Mechanical gremlins stopped Chris Demke from adding a fifth regional final round and eleventh 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.

“I made a driving mistake that cost us performance on the first run, but we were able to improve greatly on the other two runs. Though our numbers weren’t as good as they were at the national event here last weekend, they were better than our average numbers at Vegas. I think that speaks volumes to what we’ve done with this chassis,” Demke said, referencing the car that the team acquired earlier this year.

The Las Vegas fans were treated to four all-star first round pairings, including Chris’ matchup with fellow west coast blown hitter Ray Martin. Demke left first with a .025 light and held on to move on, 5.41 to Martin’s 10.54. He would again face rival Jim Whiteley in the semifinals, who beat Chris for the West Region championship earlier in the day. The Peen Rite/OSI/Boost Performance Products dragster got a sizable lead at the start but the engine let go before the finish line. Whiteley won in a 5.28 to 5.49 race.

“The car banged the blower after the finish line first round. It didn’t cause any internal damage so we put the blower back on, did our normal maintenance, and started it in the pits. What we didn’t catch was a main fuel line that had loosened. It continued to loosen during the second round burnout, staging, and tire shake. Everything made it through the two-three shift, at which point the motor leaned out and blew up,” Chris said.

Had the motor held together through the finish line, another final round appearance could’ve been possible.

“Jim gave me a five-hundredths head start at the starting line,” Demke added. “He ran a 5.28, so I would’ve needed a 5.33 or better to beat him. The car was on a good run even though I drove through some tire shake.”

Chris and the Maddern Racing Top Alcohol Dragster team will head to Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif. this weekend for the Auto Club of Southern California NHRA World Finals, the final race of the 2013 season.

Maddern Racing, celebrating 20 years of competition in 2013, is a family-owned and operated NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster team based in Southern California. The Chris Demke-driven Peen Rite/OSI/Boost Performance Products dragster is owned by Jerry Maddern and crewed by Adam Rhoades, Kevin Watson, Mike Demke, and Ron Mann. For more information on Maddern Racing, please visit www.MaddernRacing.com.

Maddern Racing receives support from the following companies: Peen Rite Inc., Operational Solutions Inc., Boost Performance Products, A1 Technologies, Boninfante Friction Inc., and Hoosier Racing Tire.