MOHNTON, Pa. (October 2, 2014) 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.
“Finishing the Charlotte race at Maple Grove doesn't fall into our strategy at all. We wanted to hit as many hot, higher altitude races as possible. Maple Grove is one of the quickest, if not the quickest, tracks in the country because of the great air and cool weather. The cars make a lot of horsepower here,” Chris explained.
Demke, who runs a supercharged, methanol-burning entry for team owner and stepfather Jerry Maddern, will have a close eye on his nitro-injected A/Fuel competitors this weekend. The nitro-burners typically excel in the conditions that will be present at Maple Grove Raceway.
“Coming here to chase the championship is very much like coming into the lion's den to finish this out. The A/Fuel cars will probably have the advantage but I have every bit of confidence that our car will be able to produce an enormous amount of horsepower this weekend. Our other option would've been going to Vegas or Pomona to finish this out. Because we did win first round at Charlotte, we're that one round closer to winning the championship. That's why we came here,” Demke noted.
The remaining three rounds of eliminations from the NHRA Carolina Nationals will be completed during qualifying for the NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, PA, October 3-5. Q1 on Friday morning will serve as the first qualifying session for the Maple Grove race. The quarterfinals and semifinals from Charlotte will be contested during Q2 (Friday afternoon) and Q3 (Saturday morning). The final round race will take place before the first round of eliminations for Maple Grove on Saturday evening. Maple Grove eliminations continue on Sunday.
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, LA X-Ray, and Morningwood Energy Drink.
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