Jeep Trackhawk Sets New Quarter-mile World Record in Texas

Hennessey’s 1200-horsepower monster Jeep ran a 9.66 at 145 miles per hour, the quickest anyone has ever gone in an SUV.

Since the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk hit the streets, owners have been adding power to the supercharged SUV. While 707 horsepower and 645 lb-ft of torque coupled with a stock quarter-mile time in the mid-11-second range is plenty for the average buyer, those owners who frequent the drag strip want more power and quicker times. One such owner turned to Hennessey Performance in the above video from their official YouTube page for that extra power and the results are record-setting.

The Hennessey-built Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk in the video above packs more than a thousand horsepower at the rear wheels, allowing it to cover the quarter mile in just 9.66 seconds. No Trackhawk has run that far into the 9s, making this Jeep the quickest and fastest of its kind in the world.

HPE1200

The Jeep in the video above is equipped with Hennessey’s HPE1200 package. It is named that because the package is designed to deliver 1,200 horsepower at the crankshaft, which translates to 1,003 horsepower and 892 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels. It should be noted that this Grand Cherokee is all-wheel-drive, but when tested on a rear-wheel dynamometer, it made over a thousand at the rear wheels. On an all-wheel-drive dyno, those numbers would be a bit lower, but for this story, all that really matters is the track times.

To make this 5,500-pound SUV so quick, Hennessey started by installing ported cylinder heads, a new camshaft and a new bottom end with a balanced rotating assembly, forged connecting rods and forged pistons. Next, a 4.5-liter Whipple supercharger, a cold air intake, stainless steel headers and high-flow catalytic convertors help the engine breathe better on both ends while larger fuel injectors and a Kenne Bell Boost-A-Pump helps to provide the fuel needed to feed the monstrous Hemi.

Finally, once everything is installed, Hennessey tuned this Jeep to run on 109-octane racing fuel, leading to the lofty power numbers mentioned above.

Record Run

In the video above, the Hennessey-tuned Jeep Trackhawk is working out on the quarter mile track at Lonestar Motorsports Park in Texas. With some interior removed for weight reduction, the Grand Cherokee pulls into the burnout box, smoking the rear tires only before easing to the starting line, at which point all-wheel-drive was engaged.

When the green lights dropped, the Trackhawk ripped away from the line at just over idle. Even with a rough 1-2 shift, the Jeep roars down the track, stopping the timers on the top end with a 9.66 at 145.49 miles per hour. On that run, this Grand Cherokee got the 60-foot mark in just 1.5433 seconds and it got to the eighth-mile marker in just 6.27 seconds at 115 miles per hour.

While the cool temperatures are likely to bring about more Trackhawks in the mid-9s and quicker, right now, this Hennessey HPE1200-equipped Jeep is the quickest of its kind in the world.

Crank up your speakers and enjoy.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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