Here is the first video of a 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon being raced by a private owner, battling a Hellcat on a damp half-mile track.
The first examples of the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon have been shipping to new owners over the course of the past month and today, we bring you the first Demon racing action from a private owner. There are tons of videos online showing the newest blown beast in action with Dodge test drivers, NHRA drivers or the media behind the wheel, but this is the first footage of an actual owner racing the newest Mopar muscle car.
Hellcat_562 Vs stock_9s
This privately-owned Demon racing action was shared by the YouTube account of hellcat_562, who goes by the same name on his popular Instagram channel. As we learn at the beginning of the video, the host of this channel owns the silver Hellcat Challenger in action, while also owning a newer Challenger Drag Pak and having a Demon on order. In short, hellcat_562 is a diehard Mopar lover.
We don’t have the full mod list on the silver Hellcat Challenger, but we know that it is packing somewhere in the area of 900 horsepower.
The Demon is owned and driven by a guy who goes by “stock_9s” online and this car is 100% stock. When this race was run, this Demon owned hadn’t received his performance crate, so this car does not have the skinny front wheels, the high flow air filter or the 100-octane race gas PCM that unlocks all 840 horsepower. These runs were made in the 808 horsepower setting and since they went from a roll – the launch gadgets weren’t in use.
Modded Hellcat Beats Stock Demon
As you might imagine, a Challenger with 900 horsepower is quicker than a Challenger with 808 horsepower. This is especially true in a half-mile roll race, so hellcat_562 gave stock_92 the hit on each run, but the Hellcat quickly ran down and passed the newer car.
Also, since it was raining on the day of the event, they let off around 140 miles per hour, so on each run, the modded Hellcat beat the stock Demon in a 50-140 race.
However, with this being the first example of a Demon in action with a private owner, it is a cool video with plenty of footage of supercharged Dodge muscle cars on the track.
"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.
