Stock Dodge Charger Hellcat Beats a C7 Z06: Track Time Tuesday

Hellcat Charger has drag radial tires, but it is otherwise stock, running a 10.71 quarter mile against the Z06.

Some people forget that the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is one of the world’s quickest, fastest and most powerful four-door sedans, turning in comparable real world performance numbers to some of the world’s greatest sports cars. In this week’s Track Time Tuesday video from the YouTube channel of Francis Murray, a nearly stock Hellcat Charger takes on a C7 Corvette Z06 in a quarter mile battle, with the 4,600-pound sedan taking the big win over the supercharged supercar.

Charger versus Z06

In the video above, we have a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat going head-to-head with a C7 Chevrolet Corvette Z06.

We spoke with Murray and found that when this race was run, his Hellcat was stock with the exception of 18-inch rear wheels wrapped in drag radials. He didn’t know what was done to the Corvette when they raced at Orlando Speed World, but he believes that the Z06 was likely also stock with drag radials. Based on the track times, we are inclined to agree, but it could have some minor upgrades that we don’t know about.

In any case, this is a 4,600-pound sedan with 707 horsepower taking on a 3,500-pound supercar with at least 650 horsepower, and if you expect the Corvette to beat the sedan, you are going to be disappointed.

Blown Battle

As the video above begins, the Charger is cleaning the tires off in the burnout box while the Corvette makes a quick test hit just past the water, followed by both cars staging. When the green lights drop, the reaction times are almost identical, but the big sedan gets down the track a bit better, pulling a 1.614 60-foot time while the Z06 took 1.69 seconds to get to that beam.

The two were still close at the eighth mile marker, with the Charger running a 6.927 at 103.32 miles per hour while the Corvette got there in 7.013 seconds at 103.63 miles per hour. With the bigger speed at half-track, the Chevy appears to be making a run at the finish line, but the supercharged sedan has the power on the big end to hold onto the win.

At the stripe, the Hellcat runs a 10.716 at 129.35 miles per hour to the Corvette’s 10.807 at 128.27 miles per hour, so the big Dodge sedan got the win, turned a better elapsed time and had a bigger trap speed.

Big Future for this Charger

While Murray’s Charger was nearly stock when this race was run, it is in the process of being built into a full race-ready machine. This includes a custom tube chassis, a twin turbo Hellcat Hemi build, a 4L80 transmission with a transbrake, four-link rear suspension, a gutted interior and a Holley standalone engine control system. The ultimate goal is around 2,000 horsepower with a weight of roughly 2,700 pounds. Needless to say, once his build is done, we will be talking more about this beast, but in the meantime, enjoy this clip of the car when it was stock.

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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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