A time of 11.5 seconds for a quarter mile is fast. But it can sometimes look slow in this day and age of stock muscle cars and EVs with more than 100 horsepower. The driver of the Dodge Challenger Hellcat Super Stock in this 1320 Video clip is what makes it stand out. He can’t see. Meet Sheldon, a nice car fan who drag races his cars every day, even though he is blind. His most recent car, a 2023 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Super Stock, has had a few minor changes made, and he hopes to make more in the future. This video shows Sheldon’s first drag racing attempt at Alaska Raceway Park’s drag strip with his brand-new Hellcat. The Challenger Demon is just a Hellcat Super Stock with a different name. It has a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine that makes 807 horsepower and 707 pound-feet of torque. A few small changes, like taking out the mid-pipe and adding a carbon fiber air intake, have kept the power of Sheldon’s engine close to what it was before. But we’ve had enough. Also, the Super Stock weighs only 4,450 pounds, which makes it one of the smallest Challenger Hellcats that Dodge has made at the factory. Dodge gave Sheldon the choice of taking out the passenger seat for $1, but he turned it down because he needed a passenger to help him get around the track when he ran. Sheldon drove slowly on his first try to get a feel for the car, but the traction control stopped him from getting a good start. After warming up and turning off the driving aids, Sheldon ran a quarter mile in 11.5 seconds. During the trip, his friend gently held the turning wheel to ensure it stayed straight. Even a tiny mistake with the turning wheel can cause a crash when you’re going 123 mph. Can you imagine getting into a rocket with 800 horsepower while blinded and making it go as fast as possible? Sheldon must have complete confidence in his car and guests—a good thing. Sheldon and his Hellcat will do more cool things in the future. He wants to compete with Dan Parker in the future, who he says is the fastest blind person in the world because he drove his Chevy Corvette to 211 mph and was in the ten-second range. I hope he will make it.
