Northwest Nationals Finalist Demke Seeking Fourth Consecutive Seattle Regional Win

Courtesy of NVW Motorsports Promotion
Photo courtesy of Ron Lewis

KENT, Wash. (August 18, 2016) – While most of the top NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster teams are racing at the Brainerd national event this weekend, 2014 TAD world champion Chris Demke and the Maddern Racing team will be competing for their fourth consecutive event title at the Pacific Raceways regional event, August 19-21. The decision to race Seattle was an easy call for the California-based driver, who raced to the final round at the NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways a couple weeks ago.

“We’ve won this race the last three years. We needed some in-region races. We missed out on the Woodburn and Mission races, so we figured we’d hang out in Seattle for the regional race then head east for the U.S. Nationals in Indy,” Demke said.

Demke’s Peen Rite/Boost Performance Products blown alcohol dragster was running on the edge at the NHRA Northwest Nationals. Demke qualified number three with a wheelstanding 5.221 et at 273.66 mph. His first-round 5.219 et was the tenth quickest pass for a blown alcohol dragster. The Maddern Racing team then earned two more round wins over Shawn Cowie and James Stevens. Demke was scheduled to face rival Joey Severance in the final round before rain showers forced the rescheduling of the race. The final round will be completed during qualifying at the NHRA Fall Nationals in Dallas in September.

The Maddern Racing group also spent the weekend celebrating the engagement of Demke’s younger sister, Aimee, and car chief Kevin Watson, who was celebrating his birthday during Friday qualifying.

As the Jerry Maddern-led Peen Rite team moves on to this weekend’s regional event, they must adopt a different tune-up than the one that carried Demke to the final round at the national event.

“At some tracks it helps to race there back-to-back, but I don’t think that’s the case with Seattle this year. The track prep won’t be as good as it was at the national event – it was incredible – and the weather was cool. It’s a completely different situation here for the regional with the temperatures expected to be 15 to 20 degrees warmer, as well as elevated track temps,” noted Demke.

Chris Demke and the Peen Rite/Boost Performance Products dragster will take to the Pacific Raceways quarter-mile for Top Alcohol Dragster qualifying sessions at 5:30 PM on Friday and noon and 3:30 PM on Saturday. Eliminations are scheduled to begin at noon 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/Boost Performance Products blown alcohol dragster is owned by Jerry Maddern and crewed by Kevin Watson, Aimee Maddern, Mike Demke, Greg Rice, Robert Hadaller, and Ryan Miller. For more information on Chris Demke and Maddern Racing, please visitwww.Facebook.com/MaddernRacing.

Maddern Racing receives support from the following companies: Peen Rite Inc., Boost Performance Products, B-G Detection, Afco, LA X-Ray, Hoosier Racing Tires, Motorsports Unlimited, VP Racing Fuels, and Morningwood Energy Drink.

Megan Meyer Prepared to Defend RMR's Lucas Oil Nationals Titles

Courtesy of NVW Motorsports Promotion
Photos courtesy of Randy Meyer Racing and Alkey Alex Drag Racing Photos

BRAINERD, MN (August 17, 2016) – Powerhouse NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster team Randy Meyer Racing enters this weekend’s Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals with intentions of winning the event for the third time in three years with as many different drivers. Team owner, tuner and driver Randy Meyer won it in 2014, former RMR driver Mark Taliaferro won last year, and now Megan Meyer looks to add her name to the history books at Brainerd International Raceway.

“Racing at Brainerd has always been a dream of mine,” Meyer said. “Some of my earliest memories are at BIR with my sister and I riding our scooters and selling t-shirts in the pits. As we got older, we were fortunate enough to bring both of our Junior Dragsters to BIR for a couple of years when they allowed juniors to race during the divisional race. Rachel and I claimed a couple of wins, and it was a really fun time to get to race at the same time as our dad and share the winner’s circle with him. Now, it's my turn to return to the track and try to take down some of the fiercest competition in the Alcohol class. I'm very excited to get back in the seat after claiming another runner-up at our last race in St. Louis,” said Megan, who is second in national points after a win and three runner-up finishes in national event competition and two runner-ups on the regional level.”

Meyer will be back to competing on her own this weekend after racing alongside younger sister Rachel at the last two races, where the Meyer sisters experienced mixed results.

“After the disappointing outing we had at the Topeka regional race, where Rachel and I both lost first round, we were all beating ourselves up pretty bad. We have some of the best dragsters in the nation and for us to go out and lose first round was very upsetting. We made some changes and ran a few test runs at the next race in St. Louis, and our efforts paid off on race day. We walked home with a Semi-Final and Runner-Up finish, and the track record mph of 274,” Meyer recalled.

A final round appearance was a timely confidence booster for Meyer, who will race for the next five weeks at national events in Brainerd, Indianapolis, and Charlotte, as well as LODRS regional events in Bowling Green, KY and Earlville, IA.

“I'm glad that we're going into our 5-week tour on a positive note and a happy race car. Over this year we've collected a lot of important data and have ran some incredible times, but we've also ended up hurting some critical parts in the process. With our rig only going home once or twice in the next 5 weeks, we have to be careful not to do too much damage so we don't run out of parts and products. Thankfully, we have some pretty great companies on board with us that supply us with the necessities of racing, such as Lucas Oil, NGK, Moroso, Boninfante, ARP, Mahle-Clevite, Goodyear and Gunk.”

This weekend, Megan Meyer and the Racers Evolved team will also receive support from John Haley #1 Roofer, a family-owned business based in Brainerd. John Haley #1 Roofer is a Twin Cities leader in residential and commercial roofing, siding, gutters, remodeling, windows and repairs.

“After first partnering with Randy Meyer Racing to advertise my business in 2014, I knew I had to partner with RMR again this year with Megan driving. The Meyer family is always fun to spend time with and they do a great job on the racetrack. I think Megan will be the #1 driver in Top Alcohol Dragster this weekend,” claimed John Haley.

“We are excited to have John Haley #1 Roofer back on board with us for the Lucas Oil Nationals again. We have a great relationship with John Haley, and we will be entertaining him and some of his guests this weekend as we try to bring his company back to the winners circle,” Megan added.

Randy Meyer shared his daughter’s sentiments, adding, “We have a tough field this weekend; even though there is a small car count, they are the quickest and fastest cars in our class. The cold weather conditions will be right for our car to run in the low 20s.

“We would like thank John for his continued support of the Randy Meyer Racing Team, and we hope to get him another Wally this weekend.”

Top Alcohol Dragster competition at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals begins on Friday with two qualifying sessions, followed by a third and final session on Saturday morning. First round of eliminations is scheduled for 2:30 PM on Saturday. Eliminations will continue on Sunday. FOX Sports will air their Lucas Oil Series coverage of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals on Thursday, August 25th, at 10 PM on FS2. Six additional replay dates are currently scheduled for FS1 and FS2.

ABOUT MEGAN MEYER
No stranger to a life in the fast lane, Megan Meyer grew up around the sport of drag racing. In 2004, at just 10 years of age, she was given the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a Junior Dragster, alongside her younger sister, and took over the driving duties with no hesitations. Megan stepped up to the Super Comp class in 2010 after a successful career in the Junior Drag Racing League, earning two track championships. She is now making the transition to Top Alcohol Dragster with her father and veteran driver Randy Meyer as her mentor and driving coach. Follow Megan on Facebook (www.facebook.com/meganmeyer.racing), Twitter (www.twitter.com/meyersisters), and Instagram (www.instagram.com/meganmeyer.racing).

ABOUT RANDY MEYER RACING
A highly respected member of the NHRA Drag Racing family, Randy Meyer has had a successful career spanning over 35 years of drag racing as driver, team owner, and crew chief from AHRA Pro-Comp to IHRA Top Fuel and NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster. Focusing on the things that brought the team to existence has been the reason that Randy Meyer Racing has been so successful. In 2002 he handed the driving duties over to Gary Ormsby Jr. to become the first Top Alcohol Dragster to run in the teens with a solid 5.135 ET. The following year, Meyer tuned Alan Bradshaw to become the NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster World Champion. Randy has returned to the driver’s seat since then, and has earned multiple Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Division 5 and Central Region points championships. For more information on Randy Meyer Racing, please visit www.RandyMeyerRacing.com and like RMR on Facebook (www.facebook.com/randymeyerracing).


Megan Meyer and the Randy Meyer Racing team receive support from the following companies: Meyer Truck Center, Racers Evolved, John Haley #1 Roofer, Denver Print House, Lucas Oil, NGK Spark Plugs, GUNK, Herbalife Nutrition, Team Racepak, Copeland Fabrications, Aeromotive, Goodyear, ARP Bolts, MAHLE/Clevite, Litton Financial, Trinity Performance Wear, and Grinds Coffee Pouches.

Last-Minute Decision Results in Demke's Second JEGS Allstars Title

Courtesy of NVW Motorsports Promotion

JOLIET, Ill. (July 13, 2016) – Past JEGS Allstars Top Alcohol Dragster champion Chris Demke made the most of his last-minute trip to the Route 66 Nationals last weekend when he drove the Peen Rite/Boost Performance Products dragster to another JEGS Allstars win and semifinal finish in the Route 66 Nationals. The Maddern Racing team performed flawlessly in the Allstars race, then worked through traction issues to claim a late-round finish on the national level.

While most of the eight JEGS Allstars competitors earned their spot in the prestigious race, Demke was actually invited as the sixth alternate for the West Region.

“One of the cool things about the Allstars is it’s the best of the best who earned their way there, even though we didn’t earn our way there,” Demke laughed. “With the last-minute invitation to go and our decision to accept that invitation, it was awesome to actually make something of it.”

Demke qualified fifth for the Allstars race with a 5.362 at 273.88 mph, pairing him up with Gord Gingles, who he defeated in the final round at the Tulsa regional event in June. The Peen Rite machine stepped up to a 5.236 at 276.01 to defeat “The Bull” A/Fueler and qualify number two for the Route 66 Nationals.

“We pretty much took our results from qualifying and Kevin (Watson, car chief) came up with a tune-up for first round. Once we ripped off that 23, we knew we had our hot rod back. Next round was against Randy Meyer. You can never take Randy lightly. I had a little tire shake but still ran a 5.326, which was enough to get past Randy.”

The Maddern Racing team lined up against their blown alcohol rival, Joey Severance, for the final round, where Demke ran 5.264 at 272.34 to Severance’s 5.277 at 274.01. The 2016 JEGS Allstars trophy now joins Demke’s 2012 Allstars award in the trophy case.

“Our teams either fail miserably against each other or we run one of the best rounds of racing. This time it was a great final round. Things finally went our team’s way for the first time in a while against those guys,” Demke said.

As the focus shifted to Route 66 Nationals eliminations on Sunday morning, the team struggled to continue the consistency that carried them to the Allstars win. Demke first survived a wild pedalfest against Ken Perry, winning a 6.689-to-6.929 race.

“I wasn’t 100% in agreement with the tune-up. I thought it would take a quick pedal job to get the car down the track. I figured we’ll just go with it and see what happens. As it turned out, it took more than a quick pedal job to get the car to the finish line. The monkey earned his banana on that one,” added Demke, a three-time Route 66 Nationals champion.

The Peen Rite/Boost Performance Products dragster returned to the 5.2s with a 5.258 victory over Gord Gingles’ tire-smoking effort in the second round, but the semifinals would require a bit more effort.

“Once again, we were paired up with good ol’ Joey (Severance) in the semifinals. Like I said, our teams either do something stupid or make it a great race when we line up against each other. This time we both pulled off something stupid. In our case, it was absolute driver error. I goofy-footed it on the starting line and launched at a thousand rpms too high and smoked the tires. I pedaled it a couple times to recover, but by then I could see Joey motoring on down the track, so I let off the throttle and gave up. That’s very unlike me. I have a million excuses, but I was just tired. Next thing I knew, I saw his pipes go wet, meaning he had an engine problem. I got back on the throttle and tried to run him down, but he won by three tenths of a second.”

While filled with regret over the loss, Demke still noted the positives for the weekend. He also realizes there are plenty of opportunities left to win on the NHRA national event level this season.

“We ran a team-best et and speed for this track, which we’ve done at every race since Phoenix this year. That really says something about the group of guys we have making the calls and working on the car.

“I saved the second round of the JEGS and the first round of the national event, but I’m still beating myself up over that semifinal. I know I can do a better job. It’s going to be soon when the car’s consistency and the driver’s consistency come together to get that national event Wally that’s eluded us in 2016.”

Fox Sports will air their coverage of the JEGS Allstars and Route 66 Nationals on FS2 at 7 PM ET on Thursday, July 14. Ten additional replay dates are scheduled throughout July on FS1 and FS2.

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 Kevin Watson, Aimee Maddern, Mike Demke, Greg Rice, Robert Hadaller, and Ryan Miller. For more information on Chris Demke and Maddern Racing, please visit www.Facebook.com/MaddernRacing.

Maddern Racing receives support from the following companies: Peen Rite Inc., Boost Performance Products, B-G Detection, Afco, LA X-Ray, Hoosier Racing Tires, Motorsports Unlimited, VP Racing Fuels, and Morningwood Energy Drink.

Booher Prepared for Second JEGS Allstars Appearance at Route 66 Nationals

Courtesy of NVW Motorsports Promotion
Photo courtesy of Mike Sopko Jr.

JOLIET, Ill. (July 7, 2016) – For the second time in his Top Alcohol Dragster career, Brandon Booher will represent the NHRA North Central Region in the prestigious JEGS Allstars race this weekend. Held in conjunction with the NHRA K&N Filters Route 66 Nationals, July 7-10, the Allstars race will pit eight of the best TAD competitors from across the country against each other. But unlike most of the other competitors, Booher will spend most of his on-track time dialing in his combination for regional competition.

Booher, the 2013 NHRA North Central Region champion, is using his 2016 national event appearances as testing opportunities to prepare for regional events. The AB Construction team’s first national event of the year at Norwalk two weeks ago yielded promising results, but an untimely loose fitting prevented Booher from making a run in the first round of eliminations.

“The testing strategy worked at Norwalk,” Booher said. “The car ran really well in the heat. It would’ve ran better first round, but we can’t really think about that now. Moving on to Joliet, we have the same plan. I’ve got some converter stuff I’m going to test. I’ve got a different set of tires I’m going to test. Don’t get me wrong; if it goes out there on the first pass and runs really well, I’m probably not going to swing for the fences after that. I’ll dial it in. I’m going there and I’m going to put a car down the track that’s different than what went down the track Q3 and E1 at Norwalk, which already was a really competitive car; second or third-low for the session and quickest blower car by quite a bit. That’s sort of the plan.”

Booher certainly considers the prestige and prizes associated with winning the JEGS Allstars race and the NHRA Route 66 Nationals, but he’s intent on getting ready for the next NHRA North Central Regional event in Columbus, Ohio, July 22-24. He currently leads the region points.

“I sort of pigeon-holed myself trying to run the Allstars race (in 2014) and I’ve seen it happen to guys who run that race and they don’t qualify for the national. Not that the national points mean that much to me, but the money definitely matters to a team like ours. Seven grand to win the Allstars, five grand to win the national, plus contingencies on both. It could be a big, big weekend for us. That’s on my mind, but I’m there to test. I’m there to make something better than what I have and go to Columbus with a set-up that’s going to be hateful in the heat. That’s what we need. It’s going to be hot and greasy. My plan as far as the regional points is not let off the gas. I want to lock this deal up. I let it slip through my fingers last year and I’m going to do everything within my power to make sure that doesn’t happen again this year,” added Booher, who finished second in the region championship by 10 points last season.

The AB Construction/Torque MGMT team enters the weekend as the most recent Top Alcohol Dragster team to win at Route 66 Raceway. Booher was victorious at the Burndown at Sundown NHRA regional race at Route 66 in June, winning for the first time with his 11 month old daughter, Adelynn, in attendance.

“We know this track. We know what it’s like to tow back with winning timeslips. We’ve already won races here, there and everywhere, but to come back to our home track where we just won, there’s going to be a certain comfort level,” noted Booher, a Champaign, Illinois native.

Adding to Booher’s aggressive outlook on the weekend is the sting that remains from losing first round at Norwalk.

“I want to rebound from Norwalk. Perform how you want in qualifying, but when it came down to when it mattered, we failed. I’m hungry. I know the guys are. I wouldn’t want to line up against me. I’m going to take no prisoners. We’ll be ready for sure.”

Booher praised the technical and product support from Steve Graves at Quick Drive, Mike Strasburg at B&J Transmissions, MVM Motorsports Products, High Performance Lubricants (HPL), and Goodson Tools for contributing to the team’s performance.

ABOUT BOOHER RACING
Booher Racing is a father-son NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster team led by owner/crew chief Aaron Booher and his son, driver/tuner Brandon Booher. The AB Construction team holds the title of quickest and fastest torque converter-equipped vehicle in the world. Crew members include Brian Booher, Pete Brady, Cam Brady, Nate Van Wagnen, and Kirk Wolf. The 2013 NHRA North Central TAD Regional championship-winning Booher Racing team receives support from MVM Motorsports Products, Spitzer Race Cars, B&J Transmission, High Performance Lubricants (HPL), Quick Drive, Goodson Tools, and Torque MGMT.

Follow Booher Racing on Facebook (www.facebook.com/booherracing), Twitter (www.twitter.com/booherracing), and Instagram (www.instagram.com/booherracing).