Ram 1500 with Naturally-aspirated Hemi Runs High-11s: Track Time Tuesday

Ram 1500 is said to be the quickest naturally-aspirated quad cab in the world.

We talk about a great many crazy-quick Ram 1500 pickups here on DodgeForum, but many of them are two-door models and almost all of the record-setters we feature are packing forced induction. This half-ton pickup is a quad cab model with a built 5.7-liter Hemi, but it is naturally aspirated, meaning that it is not turbocharged, supercharged or nitrous oxide-fed. However, it still runs a stunning quarter mile, setting what we believe is the world record for a truck of this size in this video from the Moe’s Performance YouTube channel.

Rick Spillman’s Ram 1500

The fourth generation Ram 1500 shown here is owned and driven by Rick Spillman. Spillman is a custom of Moe’s Performance, the same shop that campaigns a 9-second Hemi truck along with building or assisting with many of the other quickest drag racing Rams.

Spillman’s Ram 1500 is powered by a 5.7-liter Hemi with a long list of upgrades which does not include forced induction. To make extra power, he added a Moe’s Performance camshaft, cylinder heads and intake manifold ported by Modern Muscle Extreme, a Hellcat throttle body, ARM long tube headers, a Legmaker cold air intake and a Hemifever custom tune.

To make the most of that power, this Ram 1500 features a suspension lowering package, Inez Hotrods rear control arm brackets and Core4x4 rear racing control arms. There is also a 3800 stall convertor, a Detroit TruTrac differential with 3.92 gears and Holeshot wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson Radial Pro 15-inch drag radials. Finally, he has front skinnies to cut weight a bit.

While that upgrade list isn’t very long, this Ram 1500 is still the quickest of its kind, covering the quarter mile in the 11-second range.

Setting the Record

The video above begins with a look at Spillman’s Ram 1500 idling in his driveway, but we get right to the track. The first run takes place at night against another truck, but we don’t get a look at that truck. We watch as Spillman does a nice, smokey burnout before staging and crushing the competition. On this first run, the Hemi-powered pickup runs an 11.87 at 113 miles per hour.

The second clip takes place during the first Modern Street Hemi Shootout event of 2020. The competitor is a very quick Jeep Grand Cherokee, but we don’t have any details beyond the fact that it runs a 10.39. As for the Ram, it lays down an 11.789 at 112.84 miles per hour. That is the quickest quarter mile time by a naturally aspirated quad cab Ram 1500.

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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