Five Minutes with Chris Raschke
Chris Raschke is a man of many hats. As the Director of Sales and Marketing at Automotive Racing Products, best known as ARP Fasteners, he is deeply entrenched in all forms of motorsports and the technologies involved in how to go fast. His favorite hat, however, is his red 200 MPH Club cap he earned in 2020 by setting a new record in the Blown Fuel Modified Pickup class on the Bonneville Salt Flats at 232.989mph behind the wheel of Wayne Jesel’s Dodge pickup.
Chris has also been a part of the Speed Demon Race Team for years and just recently started co-driving the record-breaking streamliner. With only a few passes, he was able to help the team earn its 11th Hot Rod Magazine Trophy this year – a feat no other race team has done! We caught up with Chris to pick his brain about the experience, the team, and about fasteners.
Goodguys: Congratulations for scoring another Hot Rod Magazine Trophy – the team’s 11th, but your first. How does it feel to be part of that history?
Chris Raschke: We were tied with Team Vesco at 10 times each for winning the Hot Rod Magazine Trophy, so it was very special to be driving and score our 11th. There are always a few cars on the Salt in the running, but with the weather this year and shortened race time, it was cool to come away with the trophy. We ran 333mph with our 444c.i. LS engine.
GG: The Speed Demon is already the fastest piston-powered car in the world. Is 500mph the goal?
Raschke: At this time, 500mph is not my goal. I’m not sure that’s on my mind. For a while it was a goal of the team, and the car has gone 481mph with George Poteet driving. We currently have records in AA, A, B, C, D and F Blown Fuel Streamliner classes, so our goal this year was to set the record in E, which is currently 348.150mph. Our engine is 256c.i. on a 260.99c.i. limit. On our first run we had a clutch issue that hurt the E engine.
With the shortened course, we decided to go for the Hot Rod Trophy instead and installed the A engine, a 444c.i. LS based block. On this pass we lost an injector O-ring, causing the engine bay to catch fire at 1.9-mile into the run, though we still ran 333mph at the 3-mile!
Back to the 500mph question, first we need to get the E/BFS record. If we succeed, the salt is good, and the car is playing nice, I think George will go for it.
GG: The car has already clocked 481mph, so 500 seems attainable. What is needed for 19 more mph?
Raschke: I think it’s attainable. We have the power, we have the right car, but the salt would have to perfect. The key would be to get off the starting line quicker. The sooner you can accelerate, the more ground you have to keep accelerating.
GG: Land speed racing, at this level, is a huge undertaking. How many people are on the support team and when do you start prepping the car?
Raschke: The car is maintained at Maxwell Industries, so Steve Maxwell and Joe Galati are around it all the time. Several people who work there help when we get closer to the season. ARP is only a block away, so I go by often. Once we have the right engine parts, Kenny Duttweiler puts them together and we’ll have a plan in place far before the season…but no matter how much you plan ahead, you always seem to run out of time before Speed Week.
GG: What’s one thing about the Speed Demon that would surprise people?
Raschke: The car was designed as a race car that can be worked on. Our team consists of many sprint car builders and racers, so the car was planned out to be very modular. An engine swap for a class change can be done in under 90-minutes!
The other important part of the Speed Demon is George Poteet. He’s a car guy. He’s a racer. He’s been over 400mph more times than all the other drivers added together. He has the resources to do this, but he is competitive and has put together a team of dedicated, passionate racers that work hard and show up to win.
GG: You’ve been involved with motorsports your entire career. What would you recommend to young enthusiasts looking to start in the industry?
Raschke: Talk less, listen more, and surround yourself with good people and teams. I was fortunate to be around really good, passionate people even when I was a teenager working at Ventura Raceway. Then I got to work at Duttweiler Performance where I got experience in everything from motorcycle race engines to sprint cars, drag cars, and more. It was a wealth of knowledge and those experiences helped when I went to ARP in 1996.
GG: The Speed Demon is already the fastest piston-powered car in the world. Is 500mph the goal?
Raschke: At this time, 500mph is not my goal. I’m not sure that’s on my mind. For a while it was a goal of the team, and the car has gone 481mph with George Poteet driving. We currently have records in AA, A, B, C, D and F Blown Fuel Streamliner classes, so our goal this year was to set the record in E, which is currently 348.150mph. Our engine is 256c.i. on a 260.99c.i. limit. On our first run we had a clutch issue that hurt the E engine.
With the shortened course, we decided to go for the Hot Rod Trophy instead and installed the A engine, a 444c.i. LS based block. On this pass we lost an injector O-ring, causing the engine bay to catch fire at 1.9-mile into the run, though we still ran 333mph at the 3-mile!
Back to the 500mph question, first we need to get the E/BFS record. If we succeed, the salt is good, and the car is playing nice, I think George will go for it.
GG: The car has already clocked 481mph, so 500 seems attainable. What is needed for 19 more mph?
Raschke: I think it’s attainable. We have the power, we have the right car, but the salt would have to perfect. The key would be to get off the starting line quicker. The sooner you can accelerate, the more ground you have to keep accelerating.
GG: Land speed racing, at this level, is a huge undertaking. How many people are on the support team and when do you start prepping the car?
Raschke: The car is maintained at Maxwell Industries, so Steve Maxwell and Joe Galati are around it all the time. Several people who work there help when we get closer to the season. ARP is only a block away, so I go by often. Once we have the right engine parts, Kenny Duttweiler puts them together and we’ll have a plan in place far before the season…but no matter how much you plan ahead, you always seem to run out of time before Speed Week.
GG: What’s one thing about the Speed Demon that would surprise people?
Raschke: The car was designed as a race car that can be worked on. Our team consists of many sprint car builders and racers, so the car was planned out to be very modular. An engine swap for a class change can be done in under 90-minutes!
The other important part of the Speed Demon is George Poteet. He’s a car guy. He’s a racer. He’s been over 400mph more times than all the other drivers added together. He has the resources to do this, but he is competitive and has put together a team of dedicated, passionate racers that work hard and show up to win.
GG: You’ve been involved with motorsports your entire career. What would you recommend to young enthusiasts looking to start in the industry?
Raschke: Talk less, listen more, and surround yourself with good people and teams. I was fortunate to be around really good, passionate people even when I was a teenager working at Ventura Raceway. Then I got to work at Duttweiler Performance where I got experience in everything from motorcycle race engines to sprint cars, drag cars, and more. It was a wealth of knowledge and those experiences helped when I went to ARP in 1996.
GG: Switching to fasteners, what is something most hot rodders misunderstand when it comes to nuts and bolts?
Raschke: Read the instructions that come with your fasteners and always use the recommended lubricant. There are so many different applications and materials that you need to follow instructions to achieve the correct clamping load. For instance, cadmium plating actually acts as a lubricant, so adding a thread sealant to a cadmium-plated bolt will change the torque and yield of the fastener. It may seem like it’s just a bolt, but there is much more to it – read the instructions.
GG: ARP is based in Ventura, California, where there are many wineries and great food. In fact, ARP headquarters is home to Hozy’s Grille, a fine dining restaurant with an award-winning wine cellar. What wine would you recommend to share in the hotel parking lot after a day at a Goodguys show?
Raschke: I’d go with a Napa Valley Quilt Reserve and if you really want to celebrate a big award or weekend, step up to the Hundred Acre Cabernet.
