A Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat gets off to a slow start in a half mile race with a C6 Corvette Z06, but the big Mopar machine runs the Chevy down on the big end.
The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat has been proven time and time again as the quickest factory quarter mile muscle car on the street today, but Hellcat owners are also finding that their Mopar machines are impressive performers in the half mile as well. Today, we bring you a video of a Hellcat Challenger racing against a C6 Z06 and after letting the Corvette get out to an early lead – the Challenger reeled him in on the top end.
We don’t have any details on the Corvette, but we know that the Hellcat Challenger, owned by Sumit Goyal, has some work done to it. The supercharged Hemi has been fitted with a 2.75 upper pulley, an ATI 10% lower pulley, 1000cc injectors, an LMI cold air intake and a cat delete – all of which was pulled together with a Q16 racing fuel tune from Josh at High Horse Performance with help from ARD Motorsports. This Challenger also has 18 inch Mickey Thompson tires, helping it put all of that power to the ground.
In this half mile race, the C6 Corvette Z06 gets away from the starting line a little quicker, allowing it to take a sizeable early lead. However, by the halfway point of the track, the Hellcat Challenger is using all of that supercharged horsepower to close the gap and as the two crossed the finish line – the Mopar monster took the win.
In the end, the Corvette Z06 ran a respectable 159.12 miles per hour, but the Hellcat Challenger hit 164.11 miles per hour in the half mile race – allowing the 4,400lb Dodge to beat the 3,100lb Corvette.
"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.
