GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 18) – Top Alcohol Dragster driver Chris Demke raced to a runner-up finish at the 46th Annual NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida last weekend. The Californian driver battled hot conditions all weekend before dropping the final round match to A/Fuel guru Randy Meyer. The final was Demke's third consecutive money round finish since winning the 2014 NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster national championship.
“One thing about our team is we know how to go rounds,” Demke boasted. “I'm so proud of our team. It was a tough weekend and my crew worked extremely hard to get to the finals. I'm a little disappointed that we weren't able to win the race but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. Knowing Randy Meyer ran a 5.21, we really didn't have anything for him. If the car ran where we had it tuned for, he still would have won.”
Demke qualified the Peen Rite/Boost Performance Products blown alcohol dragster in the No. 3 spot with a 5.280/272 MPH performance. Another 5.28 was used to take out Matt Cummings first round, followed by a pair of 5.27 elapsed times to get past the A/Fuel cars of Mike Manners and Rich Bourke. In the final round, Demke and opponent Randy Meyer left the starting line with nearly identical reaction times, but the nitro-injected A/Fueler held the lead for the rest of the race. Demke recorded a 5.33 ET, while Meyer won with a 5.21.
Demke was quick to pass on congratulations to Meyer and his team. The Maddern Racing and Randy Meyer Racing teams have faced off for years in some of the quickest and most prestigious races.
“Congratulations to Randy Meyer, Ted Lake and the rest of his team. They're a great group of people. We run into each other to race all the time and they're a great team. Those were the guys that we didn't want to have to race in the final, but that's racing for you. My hat's off to them. That's a well-deserved win for Randy.”
The Gatornationals was an enjoyable race for Demke and his Maddern Racing team not just because of their performance or the history and prestige surrounding the race, but also because the race has turned into such a social event. Most of the east coast teams come out to play for the first time, and a lot of the racers congregate in one place after the day's racing activities have concluded.
“It's always fun going to Gainesville. It's one of the 'majors' and everyone is there. We stayed at The Lodge, which is right across the street from the Gainesville Alehouse, where all of the Pro teams hang out after the races. It was nice to spend time with all of the race teams. Our team has come of age and the Pro teams know who we are and treat us like we're a Pro team, too.”
Demke and the Peen Rite/Boost Performance Products team have returned to the Maddern Racing shop in California to prepare for their next race, which is currently scheduled to be in Las Vegas. Until then, fans can tune in to watch the Lucas Oil Series Top Alcohol coverage from the Gatornationals on ESPN2 on March 28 at 10 AM ET.
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/Boost Performance Products blown alcohol dragster is owned by Jerry Maddern and crewed by Adam Rhoades, Kevin Watson, Mike Demke, Greg Rice, Ron Mann 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., Boost Performance Products, B-G Detection, Afco, LA X-Ray, Hoosier Racing Tires, and Morningwood Energy Drink.
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