The Dodge Challenger and Charger Hellcat may have left production at the end of 2023, but they’re still finding action against longtime rivals. Even the earlier-retired C7 Chevrolet Corvette, which exited production in 2019, continues to meet old foes at local dragstrips. A pair of recent quarter-mile runs shows just how tightly matched these American performance icons remain.
The Challenger, introduced in 2008 as a larger alternative to the Mustang and Camaro, relied on its retro design and continuous refinement to stay relevant for 15 years. It bowed out only to make room for Dodge’s new eighth-generation Charger, now returning to a fastback coupe layout. Chevrolet’s C7 Corvette followed a different arc, enjoying a short 2013–2019 production span but making history as the final front-engine, rear-wheel-drive Corvette. Its competition-bred C7.R even captured a GTLM class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The first matchup comes from DRACS, where a purple Challenger SRT Hellcat faced a black C7 Corvette Z06. Both cars launched cleanly and stayed nearly even for the length of the run. The scoreboard ultimately settled the question, posting a 10.25-second pass for the winner and a 10.38-second run for the trailing car—close enough that spectators couldn’t reliably call it by eye.
A second race at Bradenton Motorsport Park delivered even quicker times. This round featured a blue Dodge Charger against an orange C7 Z06 in a 9.5-second bracket contest. Again, the drivers left the line almost simultaneously and remained door-to-door to the finish. The elapsed times revealed another razor-thin result: 9.62 seconds at over 142 mph against a 9.67-second, 139-mph effort.
With both brands now moving into new performance eras, future matchups seem inevitable. A modern showdown could come when the new 550-horsepower Dodge Charger Sixpack eventually squares off with the 495-horsepower C8 Corvette Stingray. For now, these two tightly fought races show there’s still plenty of spark in the ongoing Mopar-versus-GM rivalry.
