Turbocharged Corvette sounds like a beast but the lightened Hellcat Challenger walks away from the start.
This week’s Track Time Tuesday comes to us from the YouTube channel of Malcom Zack and it features Zack’s stock-powered Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. This is one of the quickest stock-power Hellcat cars in the world, running well into the low 10-second range with tires, weight reduction and a skilled driver. This isn’t his quickest run, but it still got down the track well enough to beat the turbocharged Chevrolet Corvette.
Competitors
The details on the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 in the far lane are short, but we know that it has a big turbocharger setup and a two-step, allowing the driver to get off of the starting line with plenty of boost. It also has mismatched wheels, leading us to believe that it is fitted with a set of sticky drag tires out back, allowing the driver to really come tearing out of the hole.
As for Zack’s Challenger, the only physical upgrades are a 3.09 rear gearset, a Driveshaft Shop driveshaft and a set of 18-inch wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson 305-45-18 Street ET R drag radials. This car also has lightweight front race wheels and all non-essential components have been removed from the interior and trunk. The interior has been cleaned out to include just the driver’s seat and even the dashboard has been lightened up, with the glove box assembly being removed. On this run, the car weighed just 3,850 pounds without the driver. For comparison, a stock Hellcat Challenger with the automatic transmission weighs around 4,400 pounds.
Battle
The video begins after the burnout, with the smoke from both cars wafting forward across the starting line of St. Thomas Raceway Park in Canada. As the lights come down, the two-step of the Corvette roars and when the green lights drop, the Chevy appears to have a small lead, but that doesn’t last long.
By the time the two pass the camera, the Hellcat Challengerhas pulled even and the big Mopar muscle car continues to pull away through the top end, running a 10.46 at 133.08 miles per hour and beating the Corvette soundly. The Chevy runs a 10.75, but the speed is hard to make out.
In any case, the stock-power, lightweight Hellcat Challenger beats the heavily modified Corvette with ease, so crank up your speakers and enjoy!
"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.
