One of the world’s quickest Hellcat cars takes on a bottled Challenger R/T in a clash of modern Mopar titans.
The video above comes to us from the YouTube account of Gary Rhudy and it features a quarter mile Dodge Challenger duel at one of the 2017 Modern Street Hemi Shootout events. This run is part of the MSHS King of the Hill class, where the other class winners go head-to-head on the dial to establish a best-of-the-best for each event.
The Competitors
If you follow our track videos here on DodgeForum, both of these cars might look familiar.
In the left lane is the Dodge Challenger R/T owned and driven by Gary Rhudy. Rhudy is a heavy-hitter in the MSHS with his lightly-modified, 5.7-liter Hemi car. With just a nitrous plate system, a Legmaker cold air intake and a tune from High Horse Performance, this car runs consistent mid-12s while the driver slays many competitors on the tree.
In the right lane is the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat owned and driven by Michael Cole. This is the quickest Hellcat Challenger in the world with an automatic transmission, turning in a best time of 8.79. This car is also lightly modified under the hood, with a nitrous system, a new upper pulley and an engine tune from Injected Performance.
The Race
For this round of the MSHS King of the Hill bracket, Rhudy and his Challenger R/T have dialed a 12.44 while Cole and his Hellcat are running on a 9.60 dial. After both cars clean off the tires, the pull up to the starting line, they stage and they wait for the lights to come down.
Rhudy gets a head start of almost three seconds, so we watch the R/T drive away while the Hellcat waits for the pro tree to light up. When it does, Cole tears down the track, but he doesn’t get there quickly enough – running a losing 9.69 to Rhudy’s 12.51.
After this win, Gary Rhudy went on to win this King of the Hill class, including a $5,000 prize.
"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.
