A 60-year-old veteran speed racer has died after his vehicle flew out of control while trying to set a new record on the salt flats of Utah.
Chris Raschke of Ventura, California, was hoping to make history when he climbed into his ultra-streamlined Speed Demon III car at the Bonneville Speedway on Sunday.
It was the second day of Bonneville’s annual ‘Speed Week’ festival in which hundreds of hot rod and motorcycle racers compete for the fastest performance in various categories.
On Sunday afternoon, the event’s organizers announced Raschke had “lost control of his land speed vehicle” at 3.03 p.m. that day, with other reports indicating he was traveling at close to 300 mph.
“Chris was treated by medical professionals at the scene. Unfortunately, he passed away from his injuries,” the Southern California Timing Association said. “The cause of the incident is currently under investigation.”
Chris Raschke with his wife Connie Patterson at the El Mirage dry lake bed in southeastern California in November 2024 (Maxwell Industries via Instagram)
His teammates said on Facebook that they were “deeply devastated”, asking everyone to “please respect Chris’s family, friends, and the Speed Demon team”.
Raschke is survived by his wife Connie Patterson and his children Kenny, Kristoph, and Carly.
According to his team biography, Raschke began his motor sports career at the Ventura Raceway in the early 1980s, racing mini stock cars before becoming an assistant to the Speed Demon’s engine builder Kenny Duttweiler.
In 1996 he joined the high-performance bolt manufacturer ARP, eventually becoming its marketing director, while gaining a place on the Speed Demon team and winning trophies at Bonneville.
“Chris Raschke’s world is speed,” the biography said.
Chris Raschke set a personal record in 2024 when he reached a speed of 460 mph at the Bonneville salt flats (Speed Demon team)
“Chris was known to many as the face of ARP, but to those who knew him on the salt, he was someone who found the perfect balance of friendly and competitive,” wrote the American Hot Rod Foundation on Facebook.
“Never a usual combination and one that speaks to the quality of his character. We send our deepest sympathies to Chris’s family and friends.”
Engine Builder Magazine described him as “known for his ever-present energy, quick wit, and encyclopedic knowledge of fasteners”, saying he was often seen at trade shows and races around the world.
“Friends and colleagues remember Raschke as someone who lit up every room, or racetrack, he entered. Whether helping a racer torque a head bolt correctly or making a classroom of young gearheads laugh during a seminar, Chris’s charisma and depth of knowledge left a lasting impact,” the magazine said.
Chris Raschke, right, with his friend and mentor George Poteet (Chris Raschke and George Poteet via Instagram)
The fastest cars in the world use rocket or jet engines, traveling above 600 mph. The reigning champion, 1997’s ThrustSSC, was so fast it actually broke the sound barrier.
But the Speed Demons were built to break a different record: the fastest speed ever achieved by a piston-engined vehicle. That title is currently held by Raschke’s mentor George Poteet, who in 2020 reached 470 mph with an earlier version of the Speed Demon.
Raschke came closest to that in 2024, when he raced at 460 mph and earned the coveted Timing Association “black hat”.
