Chris Raschke Bonneville crash: Who was Speed Demon racer, how fast was he going during 'SpeedWeek'?

Chris Raschke, the 60-year-old, died during the Bonneville ‘SpeedWeek’ event, trying to set a new land speed record.

Chris Raschke died Sunday after he crashed on the Bonneville Salt Flats, during the "SpeedWeek" event, which takes place each year.

Chris Raschke became the first official employee of the Ventura Raceway in the early 80's. (www.speeddemon715.com)

Southern California Timing Association (SCTA), the event organizers, said the 60-year-old was trying to set a new land speed record, when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed. The incident took place around 3 pm.

Though medical staff tended to him, Raschke succumbed to his injuries. The Tooele County Sheriff's Office and the SCTA are conducting their own investigations into the matter, Fox 13 reported.

Meanwhile, here's a look at who Chris Raschke was and how fast he was going.

Who was Chris Raschke?

Speed Demon, the team Raschke drove for, says “Chris Raschke’s world is speed. His journey to the cockpit of the record setting Speed Demon streamliner has given him perspective and appreciation for the pioneers of the sport that came before him.”

Raschke is a motor sporting legend, and began work at an early age, becoming the first official employee of the Ventura Raceway in the early 80's. He started right at the bottom and learned all one needed to know about keeping a racetrack operating. Simultaneously, he would race ATC 3-wheelers. He later raced his Ford Pinto in the mini stock division too.

He helped with custom creations and developed an understanding of what it took to win, Speed Demon said about Chris.

Chris went to work for Kenny Duttweiler and Duttweiler Automotive in 1983. Kenny is now the brains behind Speed Demon's power. He learned to work on race cars at this time, while being involved with the Duttweiler's Buick drag racing.

While working there, Chris met Steve Watt, the Speed Demon crew chief, who asked him to join them. Chris joined the team at ARP in 1996. He was the Director of Sales and Marketing at ARP, and remained with the Speed Demon team for a good thirteen years.

Chris also drove the Wayne Jesel Truck which got him a record and a Red Hat in the 200HMP club. After this, he turned to the Speed Demon dreamliner. His 391 mph top speed during a qualifying run was a prelude to the speeds that Chris and the team were aiming for.

How fast was Speed Demon going?

While how fast Chris was going is not known yet, he was trying to set a new record. The current best record is 763.035 miles per hour, which also broke the speed of sound. It was set by Andy Green in his ThrustSSC.

The Speed Demon team was working on a vehicle that could be run on piston-power and hit the 500 mph mark, Hot Rod reported. Raschke is believed to have been pushing 300 mph at the time of the crash.

George Poteet, who was initially supposed to drive this car died in July 2024 at age 76. This is when Chris came into the picture, and was expected to continue the Speed Demon legacy, until today's fateful crash.