Tom Bailey’s Drag Pak Durango Will Be the World’s Nastiest SUV

Bailey is a former Drag Week winner and his Durango may run in the 6-second quarter mile range.

Over the past few weeks, pictures of the insane Dodge Durango shown here have been making their rounds through social media groups. Some people insist that it is not real; that it is another stunning creation by a digital artist, but it is very real. We saw it in person at 2022 Roadkill Nights by Dodge and while it isnt up and running just yet, when it is, we expect that it will be the world’s quickest Durango and maybe one of the world’s quickest street machines. That is an unrealistic goal for most people, but for owner, builder and driver Tom Bailey, it is just another day at the office.

Bailey is best known for his 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, named Sick Seconds 1.0, which he has driven to victory in Hot Rod’s Drag Week twice, along with being a frontrunner at many other events, including Roadkill Nights by Dodge. Bailey’s Camaro, powered by a twin turbocharged, 615 cubic inc big block Chevy V8, was the first Drag Week car to run a 6-second quarter mile at every event, topping 200 miles per hour in the quarter mile in addition to driving from event to event while pulling a trailer. His best time is 6.39 at 237 miles per hour, but for ease of use, he switches tunes and drives the car on 87 octane on the open road.

In short, Tom Bailey’s Camaro is easily one of the quickest legitimate street cars in the world. We are talking so much about his Chevy to show the magnitude of his builds and racing prowess, making it clear that his Dodge Drag Pak Durango is likely to be one monstrous machine.

Tom Bailey’s Drag Pak Durango

While the Dodge Durango shown here is real, it was a long way from being ready to run when the images here or the video below were recorded. Bailey debuted his Drag Pak Durango at Roadkill Nights 2022 and while it had an engine, it was only a mock-up. There is a screw-blown Gen 3 Hemi engine – the first of its kind – along with a Turbo 400 transmission with a Gear Vendor overdrive system, but it is missing the cooling system, the fuel system and a few engine parts, including the custom intake manifold. As a result, it isn’t running in the video below, but the mock-up intake allowed us all to see where the supercharger and air intake scoop will sit relative to the body.

While Tom Bailey doesn’t come right out and state what he hopes to run with his Drag Pak Durango, he points out that it will have a 6.50 certified cage, meaning that it will be NHRA approved to run down to 6.50 in the quarter mile. Seeing as how his street-driven Camaro has run 6.30s, it seems very likely that Bailey will get this Durango down into the 6-second quarter mile range, but it will still have seating for four.

Heading to Roadkill

In the video below from Bailey’s YouTube channel, we watch as his team load the Drag Pak Durango up onto the trailer without being able to start it. We also get to see them literally drive it “Flintstone style”, with their feet, through the grounds of the M1 Concourse during the setup day for Roadkill Nights.

The video gives us a closer look at this beast from many different angles, including a shot of two grown men sitting in the custom rear seats. It is a little short on leg room, but Bailey points out that it will be ideal for dropping the kids off at school and heading to the drag strip, where it will likely be one of the quickest vehicles on the track.

Photos: Patrick Rall 

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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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