Dodge Charger + Hellcat Drag Radials = 2.9 0-60, 10.7 Quarter Mile

Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis announced in early August that the 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat with the standard 8-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission would run an incredible quarter mile time of 11 seconds flat with the stock tires. That is 2 tenths faster than the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat with the same drivetrain, but when the information for the Challenger was announced, the company pointed out that the 2-door beast would also run a 10.8 quarter mile time with drag radials.

Unfortunately, the company didn’t announce any quarter mile numbers for the 4-door Charger with sticky drag radial tires, but thanks to a slide during a media briefing yesterday morning, we know that the world’s most powerful sedan is capable of running a 10.7 quarter mile with good tires. Best of all, information from SRT drivetrain engineer Chris Cowland indicates that the Hellcat Charger could actually turn a slightly better quarter mile time in the right conditions.

During a media event focusing on the finer details of the new 6.2L Hellcat Hemi, Chrysler’s Chris Cowland walked us through every aspect of the supercharged Hemi from the earliest development stages through the final real world testing stages. Included in the Hellcat testing is a rigorous drag strip portion and the slide detailing the on-track torture testing included a video showing the Hellcat Charger launching on a drag strip. This Charger – shown in the video below – is clearly wearing aftermarket rims and drag radial tires. We don’t get to see the whole run, but we see the launch and we can see the SRT Performance Page showing the various timers.

On that particular run, the 707hp Charger pulled a 0-60 time of 2.9 seconds and a 0-100 time of 7.2 seconds. Those impressive low end numbers lead to an 8^th mile time of 6.8 seconds and a quarter mile time of 10.7 seconds – one tenth quicker than the Challenger with the same drivetrain.

However, before leaving this screen in the slideshow, Chris Cowland circled the quarter mile trap speed of 120 miles per hour and stated that the numbers on that run were fairly low, and that most passes had a top end speed in the range of 126 miles per hour. Why is this run so much slower? Well, if you listen to the video below, it sure sounds like the driver lets off on the top end of the track. That would most certainly account for the drop in trap speed and, in my opinion, it would have added at least a tenth or two to the quarter mile elapsed time. In other words, based on the Chrysler video shown here, the Hellcat Charger with drag radial tires and a good driver could very well be capable of running a 10.5 quarter mile in stock (aside from the tires) form.

Watch the video and fall in love all over again.

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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