Chris Raschke of the Speed Demon Racing Team died Sunday while attempting to break a land speed record at the annual Bonneville Salt Flats Speed Week in Utah. Reports claim the veteran racer lost control of his vehicle during the attempt. But no authorities—nor the Speed Demon crew—have specified if this was caused by a mechanical failure, driver error, or some environmental circumstance, as can often be the case in the Salt Flats.
Raschke was reportedly assisted by medical professionals following the crash, but ultimately succumbed to his injuries. Event organizers, the Southern California Timing Association, confirmed his passing Sunday afternoon. The video below, posted by the Adventure Guy channel on YouTube, shows Raschke taking off in his new Speed Demon Streamliner the day before his fatal crash.
“At approximately 3:03 p.m. Mountain Time today, driver Chris Raschke. age 60, was attempting a speed record and lost control of his land speed vehicle at approximately the 2 1/2 mile,” said the SCTA in a press release. “Chris was treated by medical professionals at the scene. Unfortunately, Chris passed away from his injuries.”
According to reports, Raschke was 60 years old and had enjoyed a rich racing career in a variety of categories, from three-wheelers, stock cars, drag racing, and, of course, land speed machines. He was Ventura Raceway’s first employee and eventually made a name for himself with Duttweiler Automotive, which built and ran drag-racing Buicks in the 1980s and 1990s, according to Primetimer.
He eventually joined the Speed Demon team in the late ’90s and worked with racing legend George Poteet, a land-speed racer and car collector from the Memphis area who drove “over 400 mph more than 50 times,” according to the team. Poteet holds the current Bonneville Salt Flats land speed record at 470.733 mph, which he set back in 2020 at the wheel of the Chevy-powered Speed Demon 715 streamliner. Poteet died in July 2024 and was succeeded on the team by Raschke.
The SCTA and Tooele County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the crash and will release more details as they become available. Raschke leaves behind a wife and three children, and possibly grandchildren, though this was not specified in the announcement.
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