This past weekend, much of the country was hit with unseasonably cool weather, but that didn’t stop the owners of two Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcats from setting new quarter mile records for the quickest automatic transmission car and the quickest manual transmission car in the world.
First up, we have the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat owned by Jon Sipple (above in white). This car has the 6-speed manual transmission with the stock clutch and his only modifications are drag radial tires, a stronger driveshaft, a 100-shot of nitrous and a tune from Mass Acceleration in Denver, North Carolina. Oh, Sipple’s car is also equipped with the “good driver mod”, and as virtue of such, he was the first manual transmission Hellcat Challenger to break into the 10s, with his previous best being the old record at 10.86.
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This past weekend, Sipple started the day with a 10.71 and after a 10.84 run, he set a new best – and a new manual transmission Hellcat Challenger record – of 10.62 at 133.61 miles per hour. He reports that on these runs, the clutch was beginning to slip under hard throttle with the bottle, so he will be getting a new clutch soon. When that happens, I expect to see Jon turn ever quicker times as he continues to smash his own records.
The video below shows Jon’s 10.71 run, where he is beating up an 11-second Firebird.
Next up, we have the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat owned and driven by Ricky Ellison. Ellison’s Mopar muscle car has the 8-speed automatic and no nitrous, but he does have an upper and lower pulley swap, headers, full exhaust, larger fuel injectors, a stronger driveshaft, drag radial tires and a tune from the team at High Horse Performance in Delaware.
Ellison took to the track this past weekend on a cold, damp day, but on his first run out, he was able to lay down 1.3X 60 foot times en route to a 9.592 at 141 miles per hour. He backed up the record on his next run, turning a 9.582 at just under 142 miles per hour.
These 9.5 runs make Ellison’s car the quickest automatic transmission Hellcat Challenger, the quickest Hellcat Challenger overall and the quickest Hellcat car overall – as reports indicate that the quickest Hellcat Charger is running in the 9.70s. However, with more tracks opening around the country this spring, we are likely to see more Hellcat quarter mile records this spring.
"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.
