The Epling Garage Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat has become the first Hellcat car to break into the 8-second quarter mile range.
The quickest Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat in the world claimed that record back in May, when Jason Epling ran a 9.06 with the Epling Garage 007 Challenger. This past weekend, the father and son Epling Garage team went even quicker, laying down an incredible 8.91 at 156.14 miles per hour – setting a new Hellcat quarter mile world record while also becoming the first ever Hellcat car to run in the 8-second range.
What might be the most impressive aspect of the Epling Garage Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is that the majority of the engine components are stock. Engine performance has been enhanced with a smaller upper pulley, larger fuel injectors, a Kenne Bell Boost-A-Pump and a huge nitrous setup – all of which are brought together with a Q16 race gas tune from the Hellcat-tuning mastermind Josh Schwartz from High Horse Performance.
To help send that power to the wheels, the Epling Garage Hellcat Challenger has a Liberty 6-speed manual transmission fitted with a pro stock style clutch, a one piece steel driveshaft, a 9” Driveshaft Shop rear differential with 35 spline axles, lightweight front brakes and lightweight wheels wrapped in Hoosier drag slicks out back and drag skinnies up front.
So, while the engine is relatively untouched, with just extra boost, extra fuel, nitrous and a good tune, few of the components south of the supercharger Hemi came in this Dodge Challenger from the factory. This allows Jason Epling to launch the Hellcat Challenger hard enough to rip the front wheels off of the ground with the help of the 2-step before slamming through the gears as the big Mopar muscle car storms down the track.
After setting the record for the world’s quickest Hellcat car back in May with a 9.06 at 154, the Eplings smashed their own record, becoming the first Hellcat car in the 8s while setting the new bar at 8.91 at 156 miles per hour and thanks to the YouTube account of Logan Epling, we get to watch the record run.
Best of all, in speaking with car owner Leon Epling, he believes that there is more left in it and he predicts 8.80s as the air gets cooler. In the meantime, his Hellcat Challenger is the quickest Hellcat car in the world and the only one running in the 8s.
"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.
