The Dodge Challenger Demon is quick. Apparently, it’s so quick that the National Hot Rod Association actually banned it because it’s capable of hitting the quarter mile in just 9.65 seconds, well below the 9.99-second threshold that the association allows without serious safety modifications. It’s a disappointing handcuff for Challenger Demon owners, but fortunately, John Hennessey has saved the day by telling Fiat Chrysler that Hennessey’s home track, Lonestar Motorsports Park, would accommodate the Challenger Demon without any restrictions to the car.

Hennessey made his offer clear to FCA’s head of passenger cars, Tim Kuniskis, in a letter addressing the issue with the NHRA. In the letter, Hennessey said that the Lonestar track would allow owners of the Challenger Demon to “run their vehicles down the quarter-mile drag strip without a roll cage and/or parachute. All Hennessey requires is that owners attend a one-day drag racing school to become familiar with car itself and the layout of the track. The noted tuner and car manufacturer’s offer is a lot more lenient than the NHRA, which requires owners of the 700-horsepower muscle car to equip their cars with safety equipment on top of getting an actual competition license before they can bring their Demons to any one of its quarter-mile drag strips.

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Both side make a point

It’s easy to see why both sides main the decision that they did regarding the Dodge Challenger Demon. For the NHRA, I understand why it set a limit on the Challenger Demon. It’s for safety reasons and anytime that’s used to justify a rule being changed or implemented, I’m all for it, provided that it actually makes sense. It just so happens that this one does because even in a quarter-mile race, the Challenger Demon could be more than a handful to handle. If somebody who isn’t familiar with it drives it, then he’s asking for a lot more trouble than he’s worth. The NHRA can’t have that kind of risk being done on events and tracks it organizes, hence the decision to be strict on implementing conditions for use of the Challenger Demon.

As for Hennessey, I see his point, too. There’s no better place to unleash the Challenger Demon’s performance capabilities than on a race track with all the safety measures in place. If anything, Hennessey knows better than most people about what the Challenger Demon is capable of, and while he did say that the Lonestar Motorsports Park would be able to accommodate the Challenger Demon without any restrictions, he is requiring drivers learn more about the car before they decide maxing out its full potential.

It’s hard to pick a side here because both make good points on how they want to handle the safety requirements needed to enjoy the Dodge Challenger Demon. I suppose it’s on the owners, then, to decide which offer they want to take. They can go to any NHRA event and abide by its safety rules on the Demon or they can take up Hennessey’s offer and abide by his own conditions. Either way, it’s for the good of the owners of the Challenger Demon. Can’t argue against any of that.

References

Read our full review on the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon.