Epling Hellcat Challenger Runs a 6.96 at 200.47, Reclaims the Record

Dodge Challenger Hellcat swapped from a supercharger to a turbocharger and jumped into the 6s.

If you pay any attention to the world of modern Mopar drag racing, you are likely familiar with the Epling Garage Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. The car known as “007” has held the title of the world’s quickest and fastest Hellcat car in the quarter mile for much of the past few years. The Epling Hellcat was the first in the 8s and the first in the 7s, but back in September, the family team lost the world record title to the Grmpycat Hellcat Challenger of Kevin Helmick, who was the first into the 6s and since then, has held the world record.

When the Epling Garage team slipped to second in the battle to be the world’s quickest Hellcat car, they went to work adding more power. The Eplings had previously run a Kenne Bell supercharger, but they swapped to a big single turbocharger. Team patriarch Leon Epling told us that the move to the turbocharger allowed the team to tune-in an extra 500 horsepower, obviously leading to much quicker elapsed times.

In fact, after previously running in the 7.30s with the supercharger, the Epling team rocketed into the low 7s and this past weekend, they became the second Hellcat team to crack into the 6-second range. More importantly, their 6.96 at 200.47 miles per hour allowed them to reclaim the world record title that they have held more often than not over the past few years.

The Epling Hellcat Challenger

We have talked many times about the Epling Garage family racing team’s Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, but as mentioned above, there is a big change for 2022. It is still powered by a Gen 3 Hemi measuring 426 cubic inches, topped by ThiTek cylinder heads and controlled by a Holley EFI engine electronics system, but rather than the big Kenne Bell supercharger, it has a big single turbocharger and an in-house piping system.

How big? Leon Epling isn’t saying how big, but our guess is “real big”. To pick up around 500 horsepower in swapping from a 4.9-liter Kenne Bell supercharger, it obviously has to be a monster turbo to move that much greater of air volume. The whole system is tuned for Q16 racing fuel by Jason Epling with guidance from Tim Barth.

Anyways, the power from that monstrous turbocharged Hemi is sent to the rear wheels by means of a Liberty 5-speed manual transmission with a Ram triple disc clutch, which is the same setup that was used with the supercharged setup. Of course, it also has a suspension setup designed to put upwards of 2,000 horsepower to the ground.

The interior of this Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat has been cleaned out to reduce weight and to make space for the safety cage, but it still has the factory dashboard and the factory center console. On the outside, this car has the factory steel roof, pillars, trunk lid and quarter panels.

It also has the front fenders and hood, but they have been welded together to create a one-piece front end. The doors are fiberglass, making them the only aftermarket body panels on this car, but to improve high speed stability, a piece of plexiglass has been added to the front fascia to improve aerodynamics.

The track weight is 3,335 pounds, so it is about 1,200 pounds lighter than a stock Hellcat Challenger.

New Record

While racing at the Legion of Demons event at Houston Raceway Park on January 14, 2022, Jason Epliing piloted the family race car to a new world record. This Challenger Hellcat pulled a 1.172 60-foot time, reaching the 1/8-mile in just 4.543 seconds with a speed of 162.57 miles per hour.

The thousand-foot mark took just 5.851 seconds and on the big end, Epling stopped the timer with a 6.960 at 200.47 miles per hour.

The previous world record for a Dodge Hellcat car was a 6.991 at 200.02 miles per hour, so the Epling family team is once again the quickest and fastest Hellcat car in the world.

These two cars will face off in Las Vegas in March, and we expect both of these cars to run a whole lot quicker than 6.90s. In the meantime, enjoy the video from the Epling Garage YouTube channel below.

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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

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