Shelby GT500 Slays Hellcat Redeye and Camaro ZL1 in Drag Race

No matter what temperature, surface, or technique, nothing can hang with Ford’s GT500 in a straight line.

Ford designed their latest iteration of the legendary Shelby GT500 to be good at everything. And so far, it sure seems to be achieving that goal. We’ve seen the 2020 GT500 outrun a C8 Corvette at the track, put down impressive dyno numbers, and rip off 10-second quarter-mile passes. And now, thanks to Edmunds, we also get to see Ford’s latest ultimate Mustang embarrass the competition in a drag race, too.

Edmunds went out and snagged the best of what’s currently available from Dodge and Chevy for this particular showdown. On the Mopar side, that’s a Challenger Hellcat Redeye, a car that utilizes a slightly detuned Demon engine producing 797 hp. On the other side, Chevy’s Camaro ZL1 is admittedly more of a track-focused machine. But it does produce 650 horsepower, making it the king of the model range. It’s also worth noting that Edmunds went with a Carbon Fiber Track Pack-equipped GT500 to round out this trio.

Conditions are far from optimal, with cold temps and cold tires. Thus, our GT500 driver launches at the lowest possible rpm – 1,200. Even though the Camaro seems to get off the line first, it’s all over after that. The Ford absolutely obliterates both cars and creates a massive gap by the end of the quarter-mile. “It’s unfair that he was totally sleeping on the light and still gets to win,” our Camaro driver notes. “Maybe if I had a bigger engine, I’d go slower,” he quips back.

So for the second run, all three heated up their tires with a burnout before launching. But nothing they tried changed the end result. “No matter how many times we ran, the result was always the same,” our Ford driver noted. “The Mustang wins, and undeniably so. I believe if you were to go to the drag strip with these cars, put them on a prepped surface and put drag radials on them, yea they go faster. But the placement would probably remain the same.”

So worry not, new GT500 owners. Right now, the competition isn’t producing anything that’ll come close to taking you out in a straight line. No matter what the surface. And you can bet that once the aftermarket mods start rolling in, that’s not going to change, either.

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.