--- title: "60-Year-Old Racer Dies Attempting Land Speed Record at Bonneville Salt Flats" date: "2025-08-04" modified: "2025-08-04" authors: - name: "Jerry Perez" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/60-year-old-racer-dies-attempting-land-speed-record-at-bonneville-salt-flats" categories: - "Culture" - "News" --- # 60-Year-Old Racer Dies Attempting Land Speed Record at Bonneville Salt Flats ![]() *\Adventure Guy/YouTube\* 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCC1nEZU-9E “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]()*. https://www.instagram.com/p/C-jBwIvsEwf/?img_index=1 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. *Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter. ### Author social links [Instagram]()