While at the media launch for the 2015 Dodge Challenger last week, one of the Chrysler Group engineers jumped into a black Challenger SRT Hellcat model and pulled into the burnout box for the drag strip of Portland International’s quarter mile drag strip. While I am certain that no water was needed, they tossed down some moisture to make it even easier for the Hellcat Challenger to destroy the Pirelli tires and commenced with doing an absolutely epic burnout.
Fortunately, I had been filming my own drag strip run in the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat so I pulled my GoPro off of the car and got great video of this Challenger massacring the tires. The Hellcat made predictably short work of the tires while sitting in the water, but as the engineer piloting the 707hp muscle car let the car roll forward – the smoke continued to pour out of the wheel wells. He ended up smoking the tires down the track to at least the 330 mark, leaving behind a pillar of smoke that took a few minutes to dissipate.
This video includes some great sound of both the engine and the exhaust of the Hellcat Hemi in action so crank up your speakers and enjoy the 2015 Challenger in action!
"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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.