Classic Charger Scorches the Track with Low-11s: Track Time Tuesday

Wicked 1968 Charger has air conditioning and a cruising-friendly gear, but the stroked big block gets it down the track in a hurry.

This week’s Track Time Tuesday video comes to us from the YouTube channel of Charlie Keel, who owns, drives and races his badass 1968 Dodge Charger. This is a legitimate street car, being drive over a hundred miles to get to and from the track, but without any significant changes, this classic Mopar muscle car runs in the low-11-second range. By the way, in case you are questioning the street credentials, this 1968 Charger has air conditioning, which is a rarity in 11-second muscle cars of this age.

The Machine

We reached out to Charlie Keel for more information on his 1968 Charger and he was happy to provide a full rundown on his 11-classic street car.

“I drive this car all over the place, last trip to the track in Baytown, Texas, I drove the car round trip 130 miles in Houston traffic. I dropped the air pressure in the MT Street R Drag Radials to 15psi & got to make one pass, the car laid down at the top of 2nd gear & all through 3rd, latter found the adjuster on the bypass fuel pressure regulator had come loose & the fuel volume dropped, still ran an 11.11.”

That 11.11 is shown in the video above, where Keel is handing a Ford truck a serious beating.

As for the build, here is a quick rundown:

“The basis of the build is a 400-cubic inch low-deck block, stroked to 512 cubic inches
4.380″ bore 4.250 stroke 6.536 H-beam rod 440 SOURCE STROKER KIT
(.040 over) -24cc dish
1.320″ 9.7 to 1 compression
Indy single plane intake
Trend Performance Products custom push rods T&D roller rockers
Hughes Hydo roller cam & Morel lifters .608,.613 lift, 255,258 @ .050 duration
HOME PORTED 440 source SUPER STEALTH heads flow 330 @ .650 lift,,,
THIS IS A STREET BUILD, yes the Charger has COLD A/C 3.54 rear gear, a518 overdrive with 4k stall lock up torque converter
Holley 950 hp carb,, for now
Car weighs 4050 with me.”

Again, this 11.11 was run with some fuel issues causing a loss of power on the top end.

Chillin’ with a Friend

While talking with Keel about his Charger and his trip to the track, he sent over this picture of his car next to a 1968 Plymouth Road Runner, another great Mopar muscle car.

“I drove the car from Katy, Texas to Austin Texas, to visit my buddy Tommy Harrison, who I have known since 1972. He has a 1968 Road Runner 440 6bbl, 4-speed transmission, he has owned the car since 1978.”

While this picture doesn’t really have anything to do with the video above, this is a cool picture of two of Mopar’s heavy-hitters in 1968.

As for the racing action, crank up your speakers and enjoy!

Photos: YouTube Channel Charlie Keel screenshots

Join the MB World forums now!

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

Facebook   Twitter