NORWALK, Ohio (July 8) – A semifinal finish at one of the toughest races of the season, the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, puts Chris Demke at the top of the Top Alcohol Dragster national points standings. A close race against another stout blown alcohol competitor ended Chris' day in the penultimate round, but the upbeat Californian driver is still content with his recent performance.
Demke qualified the Peen Rite/OSI/Boost Performance Products dragster in the No. 5 spot, running 5.413, 5.344, and 5.434 in the Midwest heat. The Jerry Maddern-owned entry continued to perform in the low 5.4-to-5.3 range as eliminations began on Saturday with a 5.349 first round win over a tire-smoking Dan Page.
Chris eliminated successful Super-class racer Mia Tedesco in the second round in a 5.401 to 5.483 decision. His day would end in the next round when an uncharacteristically-late reaction time and 5.334 pass weren't enough to beat driver Mark Taliaferro and multi-time world champion tuner Norm Grimes, who ran 5.287 to move on.
“What I learned in Chicago is that you always have a chance,” Demke said, referencing his recent upset win. “I certainly went into the semifinals feeling like the underdog. Mark has Norm Grimes tuning his car, and you can see by his elapsed time and mile-per-hour on that run that Norm turned the knobs on high. That makes me feel good that he respects us enough to pour the coals to it when we're in the other lane. We knew we'd have a challenge. I think it's a race that both of our teams have been waiting for all season. They're a great group of guys and I'm glad that we were able to make a good race out of it. 5.28 to 5.34 – I have nothing to complain about. I just need to be on my game on the tree next time.”
This was Maddern Racing's first visit to Summit Motorsports Park, a popular track on the NHRA Mello Yello Series tour. Chris and his team enjoyed their time at the Norwalk, Ohio facility, and they're already feeling prepared for a return trip.
“Norwalk is a fun track,” Chris claimed. “I got a pound of ice cream for a dollar and I really enjoyed myself. The Bader family puts on an exciting show, and hopefully I'll be back here next year.
“The facility is great. The starting line was challenging. The air density was better than the track would typically hold, so we were challenged to get the car through low gear without tire shake. We fought that all weekend. We had an electrical component fail on the semifinal run and the car didn't shake as a result. Sometimes it takes a situation like that to teach you what you should've been doing all along. I think we'll have a better tune-up for the track if we come back here.”
Demke, who has finished second in the national points championship on multiple occasions in recent years, is excited about the rest of the season, thanks to his latest performances.
“This is the third race in a four-week stretch of races. We have two wins and this semifinal finish so I have nothing to complain about. I came into this race tied for first place with Joey Severance so I think this puts me solidly in first place. However, we're only halfway through the season and there's a lot of racing left. I'm just happy to be back in the thick of things,” Chris concluded.
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/Operational Solutions/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., Operational Solutions Inc., Boost Performance Products, B-G Detection, Afco, and LA X-Ray.
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