The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat has a substantial advantage in both horsepower and torque over the Dodge Viper ACR, but the Viper weighs more than 1,200 pounds less than the brawny muscle car. On a road course, the Viper American Club Racer will easily overcome the Challenger’s power advantage, but what happens when you pit the Hellcat Challenger against the ACR Viper in a long drag race?
The video below shows what happens when a “bolt-on” Hellcat Challenger goes head to head with a stock Viper ACR in a half mile drag race. Unfortunately, we don’t know what bolt-on modifications have been performed and we do know that with simple modifications (all of which bolt on to the engine), the Hellcat Hemi will produce well over 1,000 horsepower. With that in mind, the outcome of this long drag race should be taken with a grain of salt, as a stock Hellcat Challenger against a stock Viper ACR could be a very different story…although a Viper driven like this one will have a hard time beating most fast cars.
When the race first begins, the Hellcat doesn’t get away from the line particularly well, but the Viper’s launch is awful. I have launched the “regular” Viper on an untreated surface, so as long as the pavement was dry here – there was no reason to launch this soft. This allowed the Challenger to get out to an early lead and the granny shifts during the run prevented the Viper from catching up on the top end.
It is, however, still a cool race to watch 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.
