5 Minutes
Muscle car drama at The Strip: Hellcat beats Mustang, but Civic spoils the party
A recent video shot at The Strip — the quarter‑mile facility at Las Vegas Motor Speedway — delivers a compact, entertaining reminder that drag racing outcomes aren't decided on paper. A white Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat squared off against a Vapor Blue S650 Ford Mustang GT in a classic Mopar vs FoMoCo matchup, then the Challenger returned to face an unlikely contender: a heavily modified fifth‑generation front‑wheel‑drive Honda Civic hatchback.
The footage, captured by the Wheels channel on YouTube, is a useful snapshot of how power figures, vehicle weight, traction and driver reaction all matter on the quarter‑mile.
Who was in the running?
- Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat: a heavyweight Mopar with roughly 700-plus horsepower in the video’s configuration. Historically, Hellcat Redeye variants topped out near 797 hp in factory form and competed at retail prices around $80–$82k when new.
- Ford Mustang GT (S650): the Blue Oval entry in Vapor Blue, running near‑stock quoted output in the high 400s (around 480–486 hp OEM), plus aerodynamic upgrades and aftermarket wheels.
- Honda Civic (5th gen hatch): a light, front‑wheel‑drive hot hatch with clear visual mods — black front clip, cutaway/see‑through hood and a turbo feed visible in the headlight — indicating substantial engine and intake changes.
Round one: Hellcat vs Mustang
The Hellcat and Mustang lined up after a customary burnout. On paper the Hellcat’s advantage in raw horsepower and mass should make it the favorite; in practice, races are decided by launch control, traction and who gets off the line cleanly. The Mustang surprised slightly at the start, but the Hellcat ultimately maintained the initiative. The result was a measured victory for Dodge: a 12.66‑second pass against the Mustang’s 13.08 seconds, with the Hellcat recording the higher trap speed.
Why the relatively close gap? Several reasons:
- The Mustang’s lighter weight and updated chassis help mask some of the horsepower deficit.
- Driver reaction and staging at the tree can swing tenths of a second in close races.
- Aerodynamic and grip upgrades on the Mustang narrowed the straight‑line advantage.
Round two: Hellcat vs Modded Civic — the upset
The most surprising moment came when the same white Hellcat lined up against the modified Civic. Despite being a lower‑power, front‑wheel‑drive car on paper, the Civic put down a blistering pass. After an initial spin, the Civic’s front tires found grip and the hot hatch darted away, crossing the quarter in 12.34 seconds versus the Challenger’s 12.87. The little Civic’s victory illustrated two important drag‑race dynamics: low weight and traction can overcome raw horsepower, and a well‑tuned turbo hatch can be a formidable quarter‑mile machine.
Context: market positioning and power vs performance
These track duels also reflect broader trends in the sports‑car market. Stellantis has shifted its strategy in recent years — the Challenger nameplate has been sidelined as the company consolidated performance models around the Charger fastback and other approaches — while Ford continues to produce the S650 Mustang line. Yet sales momentum is fragile; the Mustang reportedly clawed back only about 2% of lost sales in the first eight months of the year following a steep decline the prior year.
Price and power comparisons underscore different approaches:
- Ford’s Dark Horse: about 500 hp for roughly $64k — positioned as a value performance car.
- Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye: historically up to 797 hp with an MSRP near $81k when new.
- Ford Mustang GTD: an extreme halo model pushing into supercar territory with figures around 815 hp and a much higher price tag.
On the street or strip, however, numbers do not guarantee results. The Las Vegas runs show that chassis setup, traction, tuning and driver execution often decide the winner.
Takeaways
- Quarter‑mile outcomes are unpredictable: lighter, well‑tuned cars can beat more powerful rivals.
- Modifications and traction management matter as much as peak horsepower.
- Market shifts and model line strategies influence which nameplates survive, but grassroots racing keeps all marques relevant.
"Power is impressive on paper; grip wins on the strip." That practical lesson is on full display in these runs at The Strip, where a Hellcat’s brute force beat a Mustang, but a hot‑rodded Civic managed to upset the muscle car and remind viewers that drag racing rewards optimization over raw figures.
Source: autoevolution
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