Naturally-aspirated Ram pickup covers the eighth-mile in the low 7-second range, making it the quickest of its kind.
This week’s Track Time Tuesday comes to us from the YouTube channel of Greene Racing and it features a 2014 Ram 1500 Quad Cab that is said to be the quickest naturally aspirated Hemi-powered truck in the world. We don’t know if that record is legit, but based on the details of this truck and the track time laid down, we are inclined to believe the claim. If nothing else, this truck is insanely quick, so record claims aside, it is awesome to watch this big pickup rip down the 8th mile drag strip.
Details
The truck in the video above is a 2014 Ram 1500 Quad Cab which came from the factory with a 5.7-liter Hemi, the 8-speed automatic transmission and a rear-drive configuration. Greene Racing has removed the original engine in favor of a 426-cubic inch Hemi based on the modern 6.4-liter engine, adding a set of BES Stage 1 cylinder heads, a Greene Racing custom camshaft, Stainless Works long tube headers, a Fastman ported Hellcat throttle body, an Edelbrock Victor II intake manifold and an array of other supporting items.
The power from that monstrous Hemi is sent to the rear wheels with help from a Paramount 4,200 stall convertor and proper drag slicks help get the truck moving.
Conquering the 1/8-Mile
In the video above, the Greene Racing Ram 1500 is taking on a Pontiac Grand Prix, but the competitor isn’t important. We don’t get to see the burnout, with both vehicles inching to the starting line when the video begins. We also can’t see the tree when the green lights drop, but we can see the reflection on the front of the white pickup.
Shortly after the truck is lit up green, the driver hammers down and the Ram 1500 comes roaring out of the hole with the kind of exhaust note that you would expect from a 426-cubic inch Hemi. After a bit of a tardy launch, the pickup quickly catches, passes and destroys the Pontiac in the far lane, but there is nothing special about that.
What is special is that on this run, this naturally aspirated Ram 1500 laid down an elapsed time of 7.18 seconds and a speed of 95.79 miles per hour. For those wondering, that would equate to a quarter mile time in the low 11-second range.
"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.
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