Trackhawk Attacks Charger Hellcat & Corvette ZR1 at the Drag Strip

Will all-wheel drive be enough to help this Trackhawk beat a hardcore muscle sedan and a dedicated sports car?

Many automotive publications compare a certain vehicle to the competitors in its particular segment. They’ll pit a Mustang GT against a Camaro SS or a Mercedes-AMG E 63 S against a BMW M5. But on roads and drag strips across the country, the owners of high-performance machines race their vehicles against a much wider field of opponents. YouTuber Kevin Rosario has a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. He’s probably raced it against other fast SUVs, but he doesn’t in the video you see here. He takes on a C6 Corvette ZR1 and the Trackhawk’s rear-wheel-drive sedan cousin, the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat.

Before Rosario fires his 707-horsepower super ute down the strip at the Orlando Speed World Dragway, he pops the hood so he can plop a bag of ice on top of the supercharger housing and keep things as cool as possible.

Unfortunately, there’s not much he can do about his rig’s weight. Rosario tells one of his fellow track enthusiasts, “It’s the heavy one because … I have … the dual sunroof … and then it has the TVs [dual headrest screens].”

That doesn’t stop Rosario from lining up opposite the ZR1. When the light goes green, he keeps both hands on the Trackhawk’s flat-bottom wheel, and unleashes the Hellcat engine’s fury. Rosario launches into a substantial and early lead. Near the end of the run, he looks over to his right and sees the ZR1 not as a spec in his side mirror, but as an uncomfortably close and eerily resilient predator. Ultimately, its scrappy performance is not enough to help its driver defeat Rosario.

That’s not the only GM that Rosario battles. Someone in a black Chevrolet SS sedan, the Charger’s ill-fated and short-lived competitor in the V8 sedan arena, decides to face off against him. The match is over as soon as it begins. The SS driver can’t hook up. Rosario can. And does. He takes the lead and keeps it all the way through the quarter mile.

Rosario has a sort of kindred spirit at the track. Like we said, sort of. One guy brought his red Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, which uses the same engine as the Trackhawk. But he’s there to win, just like Rosario. And he came prepared. Rosario gives the Charger a quick inspection and notes, “He’s on full slicks.”

On a solo run, the Hellcat owner pulls a time of 11.89 seconds and trap speed of 121.5 mph. Unfortunately for him, when he squares off against Rosario, he doesn’t seem to react as quickly. Rosario jumps into 1st place and uses all four wheels to blast his way to victory.

Earlier in the day, Rosario had said, “It’s very, very hot. It’s almost like a hundred degrees out. No one’s car is doing good today, especially … the turbo- and supercharged cars.” Despite the Florida heat, one particular supercharged SUV seemed to perform pretty well, no matter what vehicle it faced.

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Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

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