Manual Hellcat Challenger Walks a Built CTS-V: Track Time Tuesday

One of the quickest manually-shifted Hellcat cars in the world runs in the 10s with the tires spinning.

The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is quickest in stock form when equipped with the eight-speed automatic transmission and as a result, many people who build the supercharged Mopar muscle cars to go drag racing opt for the self-shifting gearbox. However, there are a few Dodge racers who have stuck with the manual transmission and one of them is Chad Feyerabend, who happens to have one of the quickest Hellcat Challengers in the world with the six-speed manual transmission and in the video above from his own YouTube channel, he makes short work of a built Cadillac CTS-V.

Manual Challenger Versus Built Caddy

We reached out to Feyerabend, who provided us with the key details on his Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and the Cadillac CTS-V with which he is racing.

The Hellcat Challenger is equipped with a 2.65-inch upper pulley, catless mid-pipes, a remote race gas tune from OSTDyno, a McLeod clutch and a “drag pack” wheel setup, with skinny front wheels and tires paired with wider wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson ET Street R drag radials. As Hellcats go, that is a pretty brief list of upgrades, but this car-and-driver combo know how to get down the track in a hurry.

As for the Cadillac, the stock LSA engine has been stroked to 416 cubic inches and fitted with a custom camshaft, smaller upper and lower pulleys, a ported throttle body, an E85 engine tune and drag radials. Really, it should be putting down enough power to keep up with a manually-shifted Hellcat with a short mod list, but that doesn’t prove to be the case.

Challenger Walks Away

The video begins with our competitors sitting in the staging lanes before pulling forward into the water for a big burnout. The Cadillac doesn’t seem to make much smoke, but the Challenger does, disappearing for a few seconds behind the cloud of smoke as Feyerabend carefully stages at the starting line.

As the amber lights come down, we can hear the engine of the Hellcat Challenger rev as Feyerabend prepares for the launch and when the green lights pop, the white Dodge comes roaring out of the hole. Unfortunately, the Mopar machine spins the tires hard through first gear, but it still pulls ahead of the Cadillac while struggling with traction.

As the Challenger continues to pull away, the CTS-V runs into an unknown mechanical issue, allowing the Hellcat to power to victory. Due to the wheel spin, this wasn’t Feyerabend’s best run, but with a 10.71 at 137.99 miles per hour, this is one of the best-running manual transmission Hellcat cars in the world.

Crank up your speakers and enjoy.

Photos: Screenshots

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Patrick Rall

"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.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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