Watch a Challenger SRT Hellcat with nothing more than drag radials stomp a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 in a quarter-mile shootout.
The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is the quickest and the most powerful American muscle car ever, with the ability to run in the low 11s stock and the high 10s with drag radial tires thanks to the 707 horsepower supercharged Hemi.
Prior to the Hellcat’s arrival for the 2015 model year, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 held the title as the most powerful American muscle car ever with its own supercharged V8 packing 662 horsepower and 631lb-ft of torque. The key difference is that the GT500 was only offered with a manual transmission while the Hellcat Challenger comes with the quick-shifting 8-speed automatic, so the supercharged Mustang doesn’t have the same impressive quarter mile records as the blown Mopar.
This video, which was posted on YouTube by Cdvision2, shows a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat taking on a 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 in a quarter mile battle. The Challenger is stock with the exception of a set of Mickey Thompson ET Street drag radials while the Mustang has a custom 93-octane tune, a 3.73 rear gear, an aftermarket dual sic clutch, an aftermarket shifter and 20” wheels with similar Mickey Thompson ET Street drag radials.
As soon as the green lights drop, the Hellcat Challenger rips out to a quick lead and the lighter Ford Mustang is not able to catch up. As the race goes on, the Dodge continues to pull away while the GT500 driver is left to stare at the back end of the monster Mopar muscle car.
In the end, the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat ran an 11.00 at 125 miles per hour while the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 ran an 11.58 at 122 miles per hour.
In other words, even when the most powerful Mustang ever is lightly modified, it is still slower than a stock Hellcat Challenger when both vehicles have good tires.
"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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