Pittsburgh-Area Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Runs 10s First Time Out

This past weekend, 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat owner Ricci Cavallaro took his stock Mopar muscle car to Pittsburgh Raceway Park for the first time and with nothing more than Nitto NT05 tires, his first run down the track was an incredible 10.97 at 129 miles per hour – followed by two more runs in the 10 second range.

As the warm weather spreads around the United States, more drag strips are opening and one of those tracks is Pittsburgh Raceway Park (PRP) in Pennsylvania. 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat owner and long-time Mopar fan Ricci Cavallaro took his new supercharged muscle car to PRP this past weekend and with excellent weather conditions and a well-prepped track, Cavallaro was able to get down the track in the 10-second range on his first ever attempt.

Now, it should be noted that Ricci Cavallaro is not a professional driver, but he is a very experienced drag racer, having spent 18 years racing his 1970 Plymouth Road Runner, which ran in the low 10 second range. It should also be noted that the management team at Pittsburgh Raceway Park pride themselves in the quality of the launch area. I grew up racing at PRP and I’ve made around a thousand passes down this track, so I can state without doubt that the starting line is as well-prepped as any in the country.

In other words, we have a very good driver, a very good track surface and very good weather conditions, allowing this 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat to get into the high 10s on Cavallaro’s first run down the track.

The Details on Cavallaro’s Challenger
Ricci Cavallaro’s 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is the gorgeous black beast shown above with reflective metallic decals that almost disappear in dim light. When he took his 707hp Mopar to the track last weekend, the only modification was that he had removed the stock wheels and tires, replacing them with a set of Nitto NT05 tires measuring 305/45/r18 on 18 inch Bravado Tribute wheels. Everything else about the car is as stock as it was when it came off of the assembly line.

On his first ever pass down the track in the 2015 Hellcat Challenger Cavallaro pulled a 1.67 60 foot time and ran a stunning 10.97 at 129.05 miles per hour. The video below shows that first run as he stomps a stock looking Jeep Grand Cherokee. On this run, the Hellcat Challenger pulled an awesome 3 second flat 0-60 and 7 seconds to get to 100.

On the second run, Cavallaro took to the track in an effort to improve on his first run and this time, Ricci got off of the line even quicker – pulling a 1.63 60 foot time and stopping the timer at the big end at 10.93 seconds. The trap speed dipped to 127, but this was his quickest ET of the day. The video below shows run #2.

Technical issues prevented a third video, but Cavallaro finished up with another 10.97, that time with a trap speed of 129.65 miles per hour.

Real World 10s
The bottom line here is that with good air, a good driver and a good set of tires – the 2015 Challenger SRT Hellcat is capable of repeated 10 second quarter mile times, as proven by experienced sportsman racer Ricci Cavallaro.

Best of all, while speaking with Cavallaro about his 10 second runs, he explained that he believes that there is plenty more left in the car. He plans to make more trips to the track, making adjustments in the different suspension settings and shift points with the hopes of putting his 707hp Mopar muscle car even further into the 10s. In the meanwhile congrats on proving that the new Hellcat Challenger is far more than just media fluff, as this is proof that the new Dodge coupe can back up its impressive claims in the real world.