Dodge Demon Sets World Record Drag Time in the 8s

NHRA-certified time for the Demon is 9.65 but this Challenger ran an 8.99 quarter-mile with a short mod list.

When Dodge introduced the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon, it set the standard for American muscle cars. With 840 horsepower, the modern Demon is the most powerful road-going American production car of all time, but more importantly, with an NHRA-certified stock quarter mile time of 9.65, it is the quickest factory production road car in the world. The new Demon can also lift the front tires off of the ground in stock form and even when running on pump gas, the output of 808-horsepower is enough to put this beast into the high nine-second range.

So, the 2018 Demon is the quickest and most powerful American production road car ever, but we knew before the first car reached an owner that people weren’t going to leave them stock. One owner who didn’t leave the car stock for long is Mark Massirio, who sent his 2018 Challenger Demon to Tim Barth Tuning in Illinois. After a few months of tuning, building and drag testing, Barth was able to make Massirio’s Mopar muscle car the first of its kind to crank into the eight-second quarter-mile range.

Massirio’s Beast

When Mark Massirio first took delivery of his 2018 Dodge Challenger, he turned to Paul Albino of Total Induction Tuning Solutions of South Windsor, Connecticut to add some extra power. Albino added some simple bolt-ons including a 2.85-inch Metco upper pulley, an Innovators West lower pulley, ID1700 fuel injectors, a Kenne Bell Boost-A-Pump, catless midpipes, a 180-degree thermostat and did some initial tuning work.

Next, Massirio shipped his Demon to Tim Barth in Illinois for even more power. Barth added ARH headers, a Nitrous Outlet plate system with a 75hp shot, a Nitrous Outlet dedicated fuel system running C16, a Per4mance Development differential brace and he tuned the whole setup to run on an E90 alcohol blend.

Other than those items, this Demon is relying on factory parts, with the exception of the Mickey Thompson 305/45/18 ET Street SS mounted out back.

Shooting for the Record

Tim Barth has tuned a handful of the world’s quickest and strongest Hellcat cars, including the Epling Garage 007 Challenger that currently holds the world record for the quickest Hellcat car. After finishing the build on Massirio’s Demon, Barth spent countless hours testing the car at the track, followed by more tuning work. Over time, Barth worked the car into the low 9-second range, often holding the record for the world’s quickest new Demon.

This past weekend, Barth headed to Virginia for the fifth stop on the 2018 Modern Street Hemi Shootout schedule with the hopes of resetting the Demon world record. He did, but more importantly, Barth became the first person to run an 8-second quarter mile in a new Demon.

We have included two videos of the record run here from THEDEVILSDEMON YouTube channel. On this run, Tim Barth stopped the top-end timers in Mark Massirio’s Challenger with a time of 8.992 at 154.72 miles per hour. Getting there started with a 1.402 60-foot time and a 5.813 at 122.89 in the 8^th mile, followed by the first ever 8-second quarter mile time by a modern Dodge Demon.

Crank up your speakers and enjoy.

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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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