Who is that masked man? Members of the Maddern team include crew chief Jerry Maddern, along with Kevin Watson, Michael Demke, Ronald Mann, and tuner/clutch guy Adam Rhoades. (photo courtesy Aimee Maddern)

"This weekend was critical for the regional championship," Demke said. "I have to win the Vegas regional in November. If I do and Whiteley is the runner-up, we'll both have three wins and two runner-ups, but I'll win on the tie-breaker: most wins within the region." Beating Whiteley for the national championship will be tougher: Demke has to win his next three national event starts and hope that Whiteley goes out early at his next two.