Demke Records Second Quickest Blown TAD Pass In History In Seattle

The stringent guidelines that are placed on the blown alcohol combinations competing in the NHRA’s Top Alcohol Dragster category have largely kept the performance gains in close check over the last decade and a half, but every so often, the conditions and the know-how of the tuners align for a breathtaking pass that inches the benchmark forward, however incrementally small it may be. And during qualifying for the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle this weekend, west coast racer Chris Demke came up JUST short of making history, as he recorded the second quickest lap ever turned by a supercharged, alcohol burner.

Demke, at the wheel of Jerry Maddern’s Sun Valley, California-based Peen Rite/Clean Boost dragster, wasted little time getting a handle on the racing surface at Pacific Raceways, as he reeled off a 5.246 at 272.56 miles per hour in the opening round of qualifying on Friday afternoon, placing him solidly atop the field. That 5.246 is a scant .003 seconds shy of the quickest pass of all-time for a supercharged Top Alcohol Dragster, second only to Shawn Cowie, whom Bill Moore tuned to an incredible 5.243 second lap in the first round of Top Alcohol Dragster at this year’s season-opening NHRA Winternationals in Pomona.

Following that near-record performance in qualifying, Demke ran a 5.263 in the opening round of eliminations to defeat Blake Alexander, but lost power in the second round alongside Megan McKernan, putting an early end to the Maddern team’s weekend.