Hellcat Challenger Runs in the 9s at Michigan Dragway

Good tune and a good driver helped this lightly-modded Hellcat Challenger run a 9.97.

The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat shown in the video above is owned and driven by Simon Haddad, who lives and spends much of his racing time in Michigan. Haddad, known better as “Phast Hemi” online, has been racing and daily driving this supercharged muscle car for a few years now and during that time, he has set a handful of stock-power quarter mile times. The video above from the DLine 83 YouTube channel shows the 9.97 run.

Haddad’s Hellcat isn’t on stock power anymore, but he is still running the stock upper and lower pulleys, his car still has the full interior, the engine has never been opened up and he isn’t running nitrous. His mod list is short, but this past weekend, Phast Hemi’s fast Hemi made three runs at Ubly Dragway in the 9-second range, turning in a best time of 9.97 at 142. That is the quickest quarter mile time we have seen from a Hellcat car that wasn’t stripped down, bottled or fitted with a nitrous setup.

Haddad’s Hellcat Build

This Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat has a handful of fuel system upgrades including the larger injectors needed to run an E85 alcohol blend. Of course, switching to E85 requires a tune and that work was done by Injected Engineering, who also provided the transmission tune. To help put all of that supercharged power to the ground, this Hellcat Dodge has 18-inch wheels fitted with 28-inch drag radial tires, along with a 3.09 rear gear set and a stronger-than-stock driveshaft.

The supercharger is stock, including the pulley. The crankshaft pulley is also stock and the engine has never been opened up. No aftermarket camshaft, no ported blower, no added displacement and no headers; just a good engine tune for E85 and a transmission tune that lets the Hemi rev higher.

The Challenger has over 17,000 road miles, serving as Haddad’s daily driver, along with at least 650 quarter mile runs and he has never had to replace anything but oil, filters and tires.

Breaking into the 9s

This past weekend, Haddad headed to Ubly Dragway to take advantage of the cool weather in Michigan. The density altitude was positive, but it was likely pretty good during these runs, helping this Hemi to make even more power on the track.

After running a 10.09 a few weeks back, Haddad was able to break into the 9-second range with the cooler air and added seat time, but he didn’t just make one run and call it a night. He made several 9-second runs, including back-to-back runs whole hot-lapping, during which time he ran a 9.97 and a 9.98 with speeds ranging from 141-142 miles per hour.

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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