Near-stock and modified examples of the Demon flex their muscles, both running impressive times.
This week’s Track Time Tuesday video comes to us from the YouTube channel of DFWSpeed and it features a pair of 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demons laying down 9-second runs side-by-side. One Demon is clearly modified while the other is running on stock power, but they both turn excellent quarter mile times.
Dueling Demons
The Destroyer Grey Demon in the near lane in the video above is owned by Billy Swinford, who runs the DFWSpeed YouTube channel. Swinford previously had a quick B5 Blue Hellcat, shown in the video introduction, before getting the stronger, quicker Challenger. As you will be able to tell from his elapsed time, this car is not running on stock power, as it is running quite a bit quicker than the stock Dodge time of 9.65. We don’t know exactly what all he has done to the car, but we know that he is running Mickey Thompson Street ET R drag radials out back rather than the original Nitto drag radials, but beyond that, it is a mystery.
As for the car in the far lane, that is the Demon owner by Ron Silva, who runs the “SRT Demon” Facebook page. Silva is likely the most active modern Demon racer, and while he also has better drag radials, he is running on stock power with the goal of hitting the Dodge 9.65 number. On this run, he came pretty close.
Wheels-Up Launch
The video focuses on the Challenger in the near lane, so the action begins with a big, nasty burnout. The footage jumps ahead as the car is staged and prepares to launch. As the green lights drop, Swinford leaves hard, pulling the front wheels off of the ground as the Mopar monster roars past the camera. The video slows down a bit, just long enough to show the driver’s side wheel in the air.
The two Demons head down track side-by-side, but on the big end, Swinford and his Destroyer Grey car beat Silva and his TorRed car. The video ends with a look at the timeslip, with the DFWSpeed Challenger running a 9.44 at 141 miles per hour while Silva ran a 9.77 at 138 miles per hour.
"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.
