The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is a factory stock drag strip monster, with the ability to break into the high 10s in stock form and when you add sticky tires and a little power – mid to low 10s is reasonable expectation.
Today, we bring you the B5 Blue Hellcat Challenger owned by “Dr. Buick” (I don’t know why his name is Dr Buick). The supercharged 6.2L Hellcat Hemi tucked under the hood has been fitted with a new upper and lower pulley, and the system has been tuned to run on E85 alcohol. I suspect that it may have larger injectors as well, but the key modifications of this Hellcat Challenger are the pulleys and the E85 tune.
With just those simple modifications, this Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat was able to lay down 739.9 rear wheel horsepower and 726.8lb-ft of rear wheel torque – which is about a hundred more wheel horsepower (give or take) than a stock Hellcat Challenger. Those are impressive numbers and this Hellcat Challenger sounds awesome on the dyno, but how does this translate to real world performance?
I am glad that you asked, as this video starts with a dyno run and ends with a quarter mile run, showing what the Hellcat Challenger can do on paper and on the track. With the aid of some smaller rear wheels wrapped in sticky drag radial tires, this Hellcat Challenger is able to pull a 1.583 60 foot time en route to a 9.998 quarter mile time and a trap speed of 140.62 miles per hour.
To review, this Hellcat Challenger has a new upper and lower pulley, an E85 tune and drag radial tires on smaller than stock wheels – and it runs in the 9s with 739 rear wheel horsepower.
"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.
