After losing to a C7 Corvette ZR1, this Youtuber and Challenger Hellcat Redeye owner redeems himself against a different ZR1 in a roll race.
If there’s one thing the internet has taught us, it’s that no matter how fast your car is, no matter how many races you run, you can’t win them all. Corey Benoit, the man behind the popular YouTube channel Driveway Demons, has a powerful machine, a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody. He even got its PCM modified to unlock more performance, but the last time he roll-raced against a stock C7 Corvette ZR1, he just couldn’t pass it (our sister site Corvette Forum made sure to cover his multiple attempts).
It turns out the mods one company carried out on Benoit’s PCM actually hurt his performance. In the video above, Benoit says, “The PCMs, when you get them unlocked, are not truly unlocked with the 2019 and up, especially the Redeye, so my vehicle was losing power somewhere.” He decides to send it off to a different tuner that will fix its issues and unleash its “Demon potential.”
While he waits for it to return, he decides to hit the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania to see how his car performs with its stock PCM and upgraded exhaust.
Luckily, he gets the chance to roll-race against another C7 ZR1. Unlike Mike Holt’s (aka Street Speed 717) modern “King of the Hill” Corvette, this one has a manual gearbox. And things go much differently for Benoit. No traffic to slow down for, no missed shifts. Once Benoit and his rival get up to 60 mph, they both pile on the throttle. It doesn’t take long for him to start slipping ahead of the ZR1. Judging by the view from the stands, it seems as if Benoit gaps his opponent by a car length, perhaps even more. He keeps the winning streak going by beating a stock Charger Hellcat from a rolling 45-mph start by an even wider margin.
Not bad for a mostly OEM Challenger Hellcat Redeye. But it’s only going to get better once Benoit gets his enhanced PCM back. In his words, “You guys are about to see some major work done on this car this week. It is going to be awesome.”
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
