Mopar’s most powerful muscle car is on display as one new Demon takes on another.
Only a small number of the 3,300 examples of the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon have been delivered to owners around the United States and Canada, but a few owners are already hitting the tracks. Recently, two TorRed examples of the 840-horsepower muscle car went head-to-head at Mason Dixon Dragway, and while neither ran 9.60s, the dueling supercharged machines put on a great show for the crowd.
Demons Battle on the Track
The video comes to us from Ot T on YouTube, and it features two 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demons in TorRed going for the quarter mile at the dragstrip. We spoke with the driver of the car in the right lane and found that this is his first time hitting the track with his new Mopar muscle car.
His Dodge Challenger has the skinny front wheels, the air filter, and the race gas PCM from the Demon Crate, along with a set of 18-inch Bravado wheels wrapped in 305/45/18 Mickey Thompson Street ET R drag radials. So, in short, the car with the “LUCIFER” license plate is stock, with the exception of the rear wheels and tires.
The Demon in the far lane also has all of the crate goodies, but that Challenger has the stock rear wheels wrapped in 325/45/18 Hoosier drag radials. Also, this is evidently not the first time that the driver in the left lane has been to the track with this car, so he has the critical advantage of seat time that the driver in the near lane is lacking.
The Race
The video above begins as both of the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demons are staged at the starting line. Both cars are leaving with the brakes rather than using the tricky TransBrake feature as they work to get a feel for the car.
When the green lights drop, the muscle car in the left lane gets out to an early lead with a far better reaction time and a slightly better 60-foot time. However, something happens with the car in the left lane right around half-track, as the Demon in the near lane takes over and never looks back.
On the top end, the Demon in the near lane runs a 10.22 at 134 miles per hour while the car in the left lane runs a disappointing 11.87 at 76 miles per hour. Crank up your speakers and enjoy!
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"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.
