Here are a few clips of the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon in action on the drag strip during the media launch in July.
Over the past two weeks, the first examples of the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon have been reaching buyers around the country. This means that within the next few weeks, we could see the first track videos of privately owned, 840 horsepower Mopar monsters. Until then, here are a few videos of the Demon storming down the drag strip during the media launch earlier this year.
Initial Media Testing
Back in July, I was lucky enough to be a part of the media first drive event for the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon. From that drive, I put together a comprehensive review, including on-car video of the new Demon running a 10.50 in the quarter mile.
However, when I was between track sessions, I was trackside, capturing videos of other journalists making passes in the new Demon. The boards werent on, so we don’t know what these supercharged Challengers ran, but we do know that these runs were filmed early in the day, so these were 8th mile schooling runs. It may have been the first time that each of these drivers made a run, so they are less than perfect, but they give us a great chance to hear the Demon roar.
The video at the top of this piece, which comes from my own YouTube channel, is the better of the two, with a great burnout, a lengthy staging process and the driver sits for a while at the green light while he or she works with the intricate TransBrake system. Fortunately, when the Demon does leave the starting line – it is well worth the wait.
The video below is a different car captured from a different angle, but once again, we get to hear the supercharged Challenger screams during a massive burnout and a good launch, with a touch of wheelspin as the car leaves the line.
"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.
