Top Gear host Matt LeBlanc shows us how to drive the SRT Challenger Demon.
Matt LeBlanc is currently one of the hosts of BBC’s Top Gear, but prior to this, he is best known for his role as Joey in the popular 1990s sitcom Friends. In one of this season’s episodes of Top Gear, LeBlanc makes a pass in the new Dodge Challenger SRT Demon down the quarter mile and he takes us along for the ride – explaining how the gadgets work and loving every second of the drive.
LeBlanc in the SRT Demon
Matt LeBlanc drove the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon in episode #4 of season 25, which aired this past weekend. Leading up to that segment of the program, the official Top Gear YouTube channel offered up a preview of the footage of the “Man with a Plan” piloting the new 840-horsepower Mopar monster.
Really, even if it was just some random guy driving the Demon in this video, it is still a great clip, but watching LeBlanc make a run in beefy muscle car would be amusing to anyone who watched his tongue-in-cheek antics during the 90s sitcom era
Breaking Down the Launch
LeBlanc begins by introducing us to the Demon and explaining that it is capable of running the quarter mile in just 9.65 seconds. He then goes on to show us what a hard run in the in it looks like.
He starts to do a massive burnout, creating enough smoke to engulf the car. It really is a beautiful sight to behold as he explains how the Demon’s line lock feature allows him to roast the tires.
Next, LeBlanc walks us through the intricate launch process, using both pedals and both shift paddles to utilize the launch control system and the Trans Brake.
The video ends with him blasting down the track in at top speed. We don’t know what he runs, but it looks and sounds great, so crank up your speakers and enjoy.
"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.
