Drag racing is a part of the Dodge//SRT brand’s DNA. Back in 2018, the American performance brand launched the outrageous 840 horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, the fastest production mile quarter-mile car in the world. The Challenger SRT Demon bent a lot of rules from other automakers and even though the Demon was only a limited production run of 3,300 units for the United States and Canada, its DNA still lives on in the Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye.
But while Dodge//SRT promised never to build another Demon once the run was done, it isn’t stopping them from bringing another drag racing package to the fold. Enter the 2020 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, the world’s quickest and most powerful muscle car. The Challenger SRT Super Stock gets its name from the “Super Stock” class of vehicle in drag racing. It’s defined by vehicles that may look like ordinary passenger vehicles, but they are highly modified race cars.
The SRT Super Stock is powered by the same supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI® high-output V-8 engine as the Demon and its Redeye brethren and delivering 807 horsepower and 707 lb.-ft. of torque on pump gas. Did you catch that? 807 horsepower on pump gas! If that sounds familiar, that’s because the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon was rated at 808 horsepower and 717 lb.-ft. of torque on Premium 91 octane gasoline. It’s a clever way to keep the Demon owners feeling special. It took the Direct Connection Controller from the optional Demon crate and unleaded 100 octane fuel to get the Demon to 840 horsepower and 770 lb.-ft. of torque. And just like the Demon, the SRT Super Stock runs the TorqueFlite 8HP90 8-speed automatic transmission and 3.09 gear ratio too.
The Challenger SRT Super Stock is standard with the Challenger’s Widebody kit. This allows for the Super Stock to run on the same sticky 315/40R18 Nitto NT05R drag radials at all four corners as the Demon. Of course, the Nitto’s are wrapped around lightweight 18-inch-by-11-inch wheels that were found on the Demon, but this time in Low Gloss Granite finish.
Challenger SRT Super Stock comes with the same uniquely tuned Bilstein high-performance Adaptive Damping Suspension (ADS) as the Demon, helping to shift as much weight as possible to the rear tires at launch for maximum traction. However, there is a couple of things absent from the Demon package on the new Super Stock package. The first is the absence of “Drag” mode in the drive mode settings like the other drag racing Demon and 1320 packages. Instead, it’s labeled as “Track” mode. The drive mode settings on the Challenger SRT Super Stock include Auto (Street) Mode, which sets the Bilstein ADS for a comfortable ride with compliant handling, Sport mode, Track mode and Custom mode, which lets the driver select between Auto, Sport and Track mode configurations for the transmission, paddle shifters, traction, suspension, and steering.
When Track mode is activated on the Challenger SRT Super Stock, the front Bilstein shocks are set for firm compression and soft rebound damping just as Drag mode did on the Demon, while the rear Bilstein shocks are set for firm compression and firm rebound damping. That configuration is maintained as long as the car runs at wide-open throttle. When the driver backs off the gas pedal, the system switches to soft compression and firm rebound, both front and rear, for improved handling. And just like Drag mode, during Track mode, the traction control system is disabled to enable the rear wheels to spin for a burnout, but the electronic stability control system remains engaged to help the driver with straight-line performance.
The second thing is from the SRT Super Stock is the TransBrake. Dodge//SRT says the TransBrake on the Demon and 1320 helps to improve driver reaction time and launch consistency by using the steering wheel paddle shifters as a launch trigger. However, we can understand why Dodge//SRT left it off of the SRT Super Stock. Our Co-Editor Jared Balfour spent a lot of seat time behind both our friend Dave Hayes’ 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and our 2019 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320, as well as one of our reader’s R/T Scat Pack 1320 at the track, the results were that Jared actually ran fasters passes using the footbrake consistently.
Since its initial debut, we have been flooded with questions regarding the cost of the 2020 Dodge Challenger Super Stock. However, earlier this morning, Dodge officially unveiled the pricing of the SRT Super Stock with a starting U.S. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $79,595 (excluding destination). The $79,595 price tag is $3,000 premium over the standard SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody. It is also $5,400 cheaper than the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon was at its launch.
For Canadians who are looking at purchasing the SRT Super Stock, Dodge//SRT still having released the official Canadian MSRP at the time of the writing of this article.
“There are a million jokes about bright colors, loud exhausts and racing stripes that make your car faster, but there is one sure thing — your car is only as fast as your tires,” said Tim Kuniskis, Global Head of Alfa Romeo and Head of Passenger Cars – Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA – North America. “The 2020 Challenger SRT Super Stock gives our weekend warriors the ability to upgrade to 18-inch drag radials without having to spend a ton of money on changing out brakes and suspension components. The racing community has figured out very quickly that this package is a hot setup.”
Dealer orders will open later this month for the 2020 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock with production starting at Brampton Assembly Plant this fall. Deliveries to Dodge//SRT dealerships are scheduled to begin later this year.
