{"id":101871,"date":"2025-08-04T01:18:23","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T01:18:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/tragedy-at-bonneville-land-speed-racer-chris-raschke-killed-in-record-attempt-crash\/"},"modified":"2025-08-04T01:18:23","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T01:18:23","slug":"tragedy-at-bonneville-land-speed-racer-chris-raschke-killed-in-record-attempt-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/tragedy-at-bonneville-land-speed-racer-chris-raschke-killed-in-record-attempt-crash\/","title":{"rendered":"Tragedy at Bonneville: Land Speed Racer Chris Raschke Killed in Record Attempt Crash"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Veteran land speed racer Chris Raschke, 60, was tragically killed Saturday afternoon during a record attempt at the famed Bonneville Salt Flats. The fatal incident occurred at approximately 3:03 p.m. Mountain Time, during Speed Week competition organized by Bonneville Nationals Inc. (BNI).<\/p>\n<p>According to an official statement from BNI, Raschke lost control of the\u00a0Speed Demon 3\u00a0streamliner around the 2.5-mile mark while making a high-speed pass. On-site medical personnel responded immediately, but Raschke succumbed to his injuries shortly after the crash. No other individuals were involved or injured.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/527867546_31752346931031290_6535297768524815532_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-87201\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>Raschke was behind the wheel of the latest version of the\u00a0Speed Demon\u00a0\u2013 a car long considered the fastest piston-powered vehicle in the world. The machine has topped 470 mph in previous attempts, and 2025 marked the debut of its third-generation chassis, developed in memory of longtime owner and land speed legend George Poteet, who passed away in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Raschke, a key member of the Speed Demon team for over a decade, took over driving duties full-time following Poteet\u2019s passing. This year\u2019s effort aimed to push the boundaries beyond 500 mph, a milestone that would\u2019ve further cemented the team\u2019s place in land speed racing history.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a devastating loss for our community,\u201d said BNI Chairman Heather Black and Vice Chair Bill Lattin in a joint statement. \u201cThe cause of the incident is currently under investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A seasoned racer known for his quiet dedication and deep respect for the sport, Raschke had long been a part of Bonneville\u2019s most ambitious speed efforts. In 2024, he survived a harrowing 440-mph parachute failure in a separate run \u2013 a moment that highlighted both the risks and resilience that define land speed competition.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/526370269_31752346767697973_5250795155358091188_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-87202\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>Today\u2019s tragedy casts a somber cloud over Speed Week and the land speed racing world at large. Raschke wasn\u2019t just a driver; he was a steward of a legacy, helping carry forward one of the most iconic efforts in motorsports history.<\/p>\n<p>Our thoughts are with Raschke\u2019s family, friends, and the entire Speed Demon team. More information will be released as the investigation continues.<\/p>\n<p><em>Photos courtesy of Marc Gewertz<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"post-modified-info\">This story was originally published on August 3, 2025. <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/DI_flat_red-e1711481551475.png\" width=\"20px\" alt=\"Drag Illustrated\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/tragedy-at-bonneville-land-speed-racer-chris-raschke-killed-in-record-attempt-crash\/\">Tragedy at Bonneville: Land Speed Racer Chris Raschke Killed in Record Attempt Crash<\/a> first appeared on <a href=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/\">Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Veteran land speed racer Chris Raschke, 60, was tragically killed Saturday afternoon during a record attempt at the famed Bonneville Salt Flats. The fatal incident occurred at approximately 3:03 p.m. Mountain Time, during Speed Week competition organized by Bonneville Nationals Inc. (BNI). According to an official statement from BNI, Raschke lost control of the\u00a0Speed Demon [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101871\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}