A veteran driver was killed Sunday while attempting to set a land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, event organizers confirmed. Chris Raschke, 60, was piloting the Speed Demon -- a rocket-like streamliner -- during a run at the annual Speed Week event when he lost control roughly 2.5 miles into the attempt. He was traveling at speeds exceeding 280 mph, according to race officials. Raschke was treated at the scene by medical personnel but died from his injuries.

The crash occurred around 3 p.m. local time. The Southern California Timing Association (SCTA), which has organized Speed Week since the late 1940s, and the Tooele County Sheriff's Office have opened an investigation into the incident.

"We know it was an accident of some sort," Sgt. Dane Lerdahl, a spokesman for t

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