Demke Ready to Bounce Back from Kansas Nationals Loss at Joliet Regional Race

Demke Ready to Bounce Back from Kansas Nationals Loss at Joliet Regional Race

JOLIET, Ill. (June 3, 2015) – Chris Demke and his Maddern Racing teammates don't usually dwell on the last race's performance, but the California racer is especially ready to forget the last race and move on to this weekend's Burndown at Sundown NHRA regional race at Route 66 Raceway. Demke is still hurting over a first-round loss at the Kansas Nationals, so he sees this weekend as a chance to redeem himself.

“I just failed on the starting line and gave away an opportunity to go rounds and earn more points. I was racing against a torque converter-equipped car, and the required staging process for one of those cars just distracted me. The fact is I don't have enough experience racing converter cars. I certainly don't blame the guy in the other lane; he didn't do anything wrong. There is enough of a difference in the staging procedure of a converter car compared to that of an A/Fuel or blown clutch car that it distracted me. It was a good learning opportunity and I'll be better prepared for the next time I line up against a converter car,” Demke said.

Maddern Racing tuner Adam Rhoades was quick to defend his driver, noting, “He's human. I've lost him more races from bad tuning than he's lost us from his driving. We're already moving on to the next race.”

After all, the rare, early-round loss was just a minor flaw in an otherwise successful national championship defense season so far. Demke currently has two victories and two runner-up finishes on his 2015 scorecard, split evenly between national events and regional races. He has just one other first-round loss.

“After my failure at Topeka I personally don't feel that good. I'm glad we're going to a race just a couple weeks after that so I can put Topeka behind me. Adam made the comment then we have more points right now than we had at this point last year. That puts a positive spin on the situation.”

The Burndown at Sundown, June 6-8, is the first of two stops at Route 66 Raceway for Demke and the Peen Rite/Boost Performance Products team. While the race is a typical points-earning weekend, it gives team owner/crew chief Jerry Maddern and the team up to six runs on the Route 66 quarter-mile before returning in July for the NHRA Route 66 Nationals and JEGS Allstars combo race.

“Track conditions are usually different whether you're at a regional or a national, though we can still learn from the atmospheric conditions, as they should be similar in July. This weekend will be a good opportunity to figure out the best compression ratio and fuel settings,” Demke claimed, who also contributes to the tuning calls.

Fans of Chris Demke and the Peen Rite/Boost Performance Products Top Alcohol Dragster team can tune in to the race via D3TV, a new live-streaming video service available at all NHRA North Central Divison/Region races this season. Top Alcohol qualifying starts with one run on Friday and continues with two runs on Saturday. Eliminations will begin on Sunday. The link to watch the free livestream can be found at www.nhradiv3.com.


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, 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.