Watch the Hellcat Challenger Run Down a 665hp Hennessey SUV

Since the 2015 Hellcat Challenger hit the street, it seems like everyone wants to make a video racing against the most powerful American production car of all time. Today, we bring you the latest video showcasing the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat in action – this time racing against a 2015 GMC Yukon Denali XL. At first, that might sound a little ridiculous, as a full size SUV racing against the most powerful American production car of all time is like Mike Tyson fighting a very heavy kitten, but this is no ordinary GMC Yukon. This long wheelbase high end General Motors SUV has been heavily modified by Hennessey Performance and thanks to the HPE650 supercharger package, this 6,000lb heavy hauler packs an incredible 665 horsepower.

So, we have a 6,000lb GMC Yukon Denali XL with 665 horsepower racing against the factory stock 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat which weighs around 4,500lbs and packs 707 horsepower. It still seems like a battle that should still go to the Challenger, but part of the big weight advantage is the four wheel drive system of the GMC. The Hellcat Challenger can be a real headache to launch hard and use all of that power on the low end, but 665hp Yukon has four wheel drive. This allows the big GM SUV to get away from the line in a hurry – but will that be enough to hold the Challenger off throughout the whole quarter mile run?

The Hennessey HPE650 Yukon Video
Like so many other Hennessey videos, this clip showing the Hellcat Challenger racing down the quarter mile is actually a promotional video for one of the newest Hennessey Performance products. In this case, John Hennessey is showing off the HPE650 supercharger package for the new GMC Yukon Denali XL and to do so, he is capitalizing on the popularity of the 707hp Hellcat Challenger. John hosts the video, talking about the two vehicles before finally showing us the drag race between the super-tuned 6,000lb SUV and the most powerful American muscle car of all time.

2015 Challenger Galleries:
The 2015 Dodge Challenger Scat Pack in Sublime
The 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat in TorRed
The 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat in Sublime

6,000lbs, 665hp and four wheel drive against 4,500lbs, 707hp and rear wheel drive. It sounds like a very interesting match, but it doesn’t size up to be as exciting as we had hoped.

First off, the Yukon red lights with a .464 reaction time (.500 is perfect, anything below .500 is a red light) while the Challenger pulls an awful 1.033 reaction time. When combined with the required soft launch of the Challenger and the impressive launch of the GMC SUV, the big, blown Yukon gets off to a massive head start.

However, the Hellcat Challenger rapidly closes the gap and it looks like the Mopar muscle car gets to the finish line first. Unfortunately, the video cuts off before any of the numbers come up on the big boards and before the win light comes on…so we don’t know for sure who wins. Then again, if the HPE650 Yukon had run the better time or if it had gotten the win light, you would think that the company would have let the video run longer and the fact that it is cut off seems like proof that the Challenger still won the race.

Regardless of who won the race, the Hennessey HPE650 Yukon Denali XL is one impressive full sized SUV – but the Hellcat Challenger is still the baddest American performance car on the block.