Meet the First Modern Dodge Charger to Run in the 7s

Charger features a Hellcat-based engine, a Whipple supercharger and Hemituner Performance tune.

The modern Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye is the world’s quickest, fastest and most powerful sedan. However, the modern Charger has been a stunning performance sedan since it came to market back in 2006 and today, many of those pre-Hellcat era models are still in action. One such “older” Dodge Charger sedan that is still turning heads at the dragstrip is the silver 2006 shown here, owned by AJ Berge, owner of Hemituner Performance.

Berge recently laid down a pair of 7-second quarter mile runs in his 2006 Dodge Charger. While there are quite a few modern Chargers in the low-8-second range and a collection of modern Challengers in the 7s, no modern Dodge sedan has gotten into the 7s prior to the runs shown below. That makes Berge’s Charger the quickest in the world, but should someone run quicker, no other Charger owner will ever be the first to run in the 7s.

AJ Berge’s 2006 Dodge Charger

We had a chance to speak with Berge about his record and his 2006 Dodge Charger, which he purchased back in 2010. At the time, Berge was working for Arrington Performance, tuning high performance Hemi-powered machines. Back then, this car was built with a 440-cubic inch Hemi which helped Berge win 2011 and 2012 Modern Street Hemi Shootout Series championships, but he sold the car in 2013.

Since then, Berge has become known as one of the top tuners in the modern Mopar world, helping many record-setters make big power. Berge has also spent time racing various cars himself, including a modern Demon and Challenger Redeye, but in 2020, his silver 2006 Charger was available, so he bought it back.

He then assembled a team of experts to take on creating the ultimate track-ready Dodge sedan. This includes Jim Kane, a Championship winning Promodified crew Chief, Ken Walther, a valued client and friend of Berge’s, and Jim and his team at True Street Performance. Gary Rhudy would be joining us at the track helping to line the beast up and adjusting our shock settings to get the most out of any track condition.

This 2006 Charger is powered by a Hellcat-based Hemi measuring 426 cubic inches. It is topped with ThiTek ported cylinder heads from a 2018 Demon and fitted with a custom camshaft. This big Hemi is also fitted with a 3.0-liter Dragpak Whipple supercharger, a Nitrous Outlet single nozzle setup and a Holley Dominator engine management system.

A Rossler TH400 automatic transmission with a custom torque convertor sends the power through a Driveshaft Shop 1-piece carbon driveshaft to the Hemituner Performance Billet Case Hellcat Replacement Differential, which bolts into a Hellcat rear cradle. This Charger also features custom billet adjustable control arms, Reed Motorsports/Menscer coilovers and a set of G-Force 1400-horsepower axles.

First in the 7s

In the videos below from the YouTube channel of Gary Rhudy, we can watch as AJ Berge makes some racing history, making his 2006 Dodge Charger the first of the modern Mopar sedans to run in the 7-second range.

On the first-ever 7-second pass, Berge runs a 7.98 at 172 miles per hour, later backing that up with a 7.97 at 173 miles per hour. With those being the first 7-second quarter mile passes by a modern Dodge Charger sedan, this is also the quickest Dodge Charger in the world.

Photos: AJ Berge 

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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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