On a recent athletic day at Toronto Motorsports Park, a Dodge Charger Hellcat owner faced a diverse lineup of challengers and easily mopped the floor with the competition. This Plum Crazy Charger Hellcat was clearly driven by an experienced racing racer who knows how to get the best launch from his car. The Charger Hellcat can live in the shadows of the Demon and the new Hellcat Redeye, but as this owner demonstrated, there is hardly any competition for the Charger Hellcat on a drag strip.
The drag race of an automatic transmission car may seem like an easy task, but as any drag racer will tell you, there is a great deal of skill involved in getting a perfect race. It is not enough to put your foot on the ground and drive in a straight line, although it may seem that way from the stands. Drag racing is all about reaction time and understanding how your car will gain traction at the starting line. This critical balance of power feeding without turning the tires too much, resulting in wasted time, is the ballet of endurance racing.
The loader featured in the video has aftermarket wheels and what appear to be drag strip-centered radii that go a long way in the drive department. These track-focused rubber compounds allow drivers to get the grip their car needs to get out of the line. The owner of the charger also has the yellow front splitter protectors, which are supposed to add significant performance, although they are not proven at the time of writing.
So why did the Charger Hellcat beat out a C7 Corvette Z06, Tesla Model 3, BMW M5, and an S197 Mustang GT? Well, for starters, a stock Charger Hellcat runs 11.9 seconds in a quarter-mile, but with aftermarket wheels and tires, this owner is constantly running 10-second races in a quarter-mile. Combine this setup with an experienced controller and the results speak for themselves. Thanks to some simple improvements, you can help your Hellcat gain traction and be almost invincible on the drag strip.
