Scat Pack Challenger with stock power and sticky tires beats a Pontiac G8 and lays down an impressive time.
This week’s Track Time Tuesday video comes to us from the Facebook wall of Chris Martin(who, due to issues with his account, had us upload it to a secondary source on YouTube) who owns and daily drives his 2015 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack. This Mopar muscle car has very simple upgrades, the most significant of which are the sticky tires out back, but with stock power, it is able to cover the quarter mile in the mid-11-second range. That is more than enough to hand the Pontiac sedan in the other lane a pretty sound beating.
The Mod List
Martin’s 2015 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack is equipped with the 8-speed automatic transmission and the 20-inch lightweight forged aluminum wheels, with the rear rollers being replaced with 18-inch Bravado wheels wrapped in 305-45-18 Mickey Thompson ER Street R tires for track use. Martin has also added a Per4Mance Development differential brace, which helps with longevity more than performance, along with an air intake box from a Hellcat Challenger fitted with a K&N drop-in air filter. Finally, the rear resonators have been removed and the mid-mufflers have been replaced with Dynomax Bullets, while line lock has been introduced via a Tazer.
So in terms of actual performance upgrades, the tires are the biggest change over stock, the engine breathes a little better on both ends and the differential brace helps protect against wheel hop, but there have been no dramatic changes to this Dodge Challenger.
Storming Down the Track
In the video above, Martin’s Scat Pack Challenger takes on a Pontiac G8. We don’t get any times for the sedan, but based on how close it stays to the Mopar muscle car, it is safe to say that it is not stock. Unfortunately, it isn’t modified enough to keep up with the 485-horsepower Dodge.
As soon as the green lights drop, the Challenger jumps out to a lead of about a half-car and by the 330-foot mark, Martin appears to be more than a length ahead of the Holden-built Pontiac. From there, the Mopar machine just keeps on pulling as a little kid in the stands celebrates the win even before Martin crosses the line. On the big end, Martin ran an 11.66 at 115 miles per hour with a 1.68 short time, so it is getting out hard on the short end and pulling hard on the big end.
"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.
