Meet the World’s First 9-second Dodge Durango Hellcat

Durango Hellcat with a relatively short list of upgrades covers the quarter mile in less than 10 seconds.

The Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat is the quickest SUV in the world, sprinting from a stop to 60 in just 3.4 seconds while covering the quarter mile in stock form in the high-11-second range. However, thanks to the push from Hellcat Challenger and Charger to make more power, there is already an ample aftermarket available for the factory supercharged SUV.

One company that has been active in building crazy quick Hellcat cars is American Muscle Performance of Pompano Beach, Florida. They recently turned their attention to the Durango Hellcat owned by Tina Boggess and after adding a fairly short list of upgrades, shop owner Scott Boegler hit the track. After some time running in the low 10s, Boegler and his crew made a few tweaks and got the weather needed to be the first in the world to put a Hellcat Durango in the 9-second range.

We had a chance to speak with Boegler, who shared the key details on this wicked supercharged SUV.

The Durango Build

This 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat is powered by a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi, topped by a 2.4-liter IHI supercharger. In stock form, this machine made 710 horsepower and 640 lb-ft of torque, but it has a handful of upgrades that add gobs of power.

The IHI supercharger has been fitted with a 2.65-inch upper pulley which, with the help of a 10% lower pulley, increases boost levels. Helping the blower breathe is a 108-milimeter throttle body and a JLT cold air intake while a set of FIC 1200 fuel injectors and a JMS Boost-A-Pump provided the fuel levels needed to feed the hungry Hemi. There is also an off-road X-pipe that allows the engine to breathe better on the back end and a Cordes ice tank to help lower intake air temperatures, with the whole system being tuned to run on VP Fuels X98 ethanol by Brent Hughes of DTP Performance.

Finally, this Durango Hellcat rides on Mickey Thompson rubber wrapped around aftermarket wheels, helping to put all of that power to the ground – and this big SUV does just that.

First in the 9s

On the first trip to the track with Boggess’ Durango, Boegler was able to get down into the low-10-second range on a hot night. After that trip, they made some tuning changes and added the ice tank before heading back for another night of racing.

On the second trip, Boegler started off the night by running a 9.996 at 135.77 miles per hour, making this the first Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat to run in the 9s (slip shown above). A little while later, he backed it up with a 9.93 at 136.4 miles per hour. On that run, the Durango took just 1.434 seconds to get to the 60-foot mark while the 8^th mile run took just 6.342 seconds at 108.48 miles per hour and for those wondering, the density altitude was around 2,800 feet when Boegler made the 9.93 pass.

Boegler also provided me with a video of each of the 9-second passes, both of which you can watch in the video below from my own YouTube channel. Crank up your speakers and enjoy!

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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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