When Dodge introduced the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, the 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, the 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye and the 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody to the media, the company did so at a road course.
Although modern muscle cars traditionally haven’t gotten a world of respect in the road racing world, the Challenger and Charger have both become far greater road-handlers in the past few years. Yes, they are big and heavy, but they are powerful and for their size, both cars are surprisingly spry.
The members of the media quickly learned that the Dodge Challenger and Charger are both great vehicles on a twisty race track and buyers of SRT models who participated in the Bondurant schooling program got a chance to experience a car similar to theirs on a road course, but many modern Mopar owners really don’t know how well their car will handle a track with turns. The key reason for modern Mopar owners never experiencing their vehicle on a road course is that they simply don’t know how to get into road racing.
There is no question that drag racing is better publicized among muscle car owners and with the Challenger and Charger both being among the quickest production cars in the world, many modern Dodge owners enjoy drag racing. Those folks will happily provide another owner with information on how to get involved with drag racing, but for many, questions about getting involved with road racing go unanswered in social media circles.
That is where Track Shaker steps in to help. Founded by a group comprised mainly of modern Mopar owners, including Craig Keys, who has been featured here on Allpar in the past, this group of hardcore road racing enthusiasts have put together the ultimate resource for the road racing newbie.
Most importantly, Track Shaker isn’t an association that charges you to join just to get the information that you need. All of the information is free, listing literally everything that you need to know to go road racing in your Challenger, Charger, Viper or any other modern Mopar machine. In fact, you can go road racing with your classic Mopar, although you might find that a muscle car from the 1970s isn’t quite as much fun on a curvy course without some suspension upgrades.
Getting on a Track
The Track Shaker website has a simple five-step process for getting all of the items and knowledge needed to go road racing for the first time. The first step is a video that walks you through each of the sections on the website, along with providing a look at the complete process of getting involved with the world of road racing. The fifth step contains information on contacting the people who run the website, being featured, etc. The second, third and fourth steps are the areas where you can get everything that you need and everything that you need to know to get on a road course.
Step 2 includes a track locator that allows you to search within a specified distance of your location. When you put in your zip code and the distance that you are willing to travel, the Track Shaker system lists all of the road racing facilities in that range. That list of tracks not only shows you where the tracks are, but the list also includes a link to a calendar of events, the official track website and a map of the track itself.
Step 2 shows you where and when you can go road racing. Step 3 looks at some of the details needed to be on the track safely. This includes insurance that covers track damage, a detailed technical inspection list and a graphic that shows the flags used in road racing. The tech inspection sheet is vital and if you don’t know what the flags mean, you can be a danger to others on the track. The tech inspection sheet really is great for someone heading to the track for the first time, as it lists literally everything that you need to check before getting on the track. Really, the tech inspection list is a great asset even for experienced drivers.
In Step 4, Track Shaker looks at some other items needed for a day at the track, including your helmet, other safety gear, tools and random things like a chair and snacks. If you don’t know what size helmet you wear, what kind of helmet you need or where to buy the right helmet, Track Shaker has all of that information. In most cases, a helmet is technically the only required safety gear, but Track Shaker also has information on driving gloves, shoes and racing suits. The website also provides information on buying the tools needed, such as a torque wrench, tire pressure gauges, compact air compressors and more.
Finally, Step 4 has a checklist of everything that you need to bring and some things that you might want to bring to have a comfortable, fun day at the track.
Give Road Racing a Try
If you have a modern Mopar performance car and you have never gone road racing, it is something that I would recommend trying at least once.
As mentioned above, I have had the pleasure of pushing all of the modern Mopar performance machines to their limits on a road course and it is truly a completely different experience than driving fast on public roads or even drag racing. Modern Mopars handles far better than most people expect, so if you enjoy driving hard, but you don’t know how to go about getting involved with road racing, Track Shaker has everything that you need to get on track for the first time.
Below is the Track Shaker video that walks you through every step of the process of going road racing with your daily driven street vehicle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb-FIfdvlu4
All action shots provided by Christopher Cross for Track Shaker
Although modern muscle cars traditionally haven’t gotten a world of respect in the road racing world, the Challenger and Charger have both become far greater road-handlers in the past few years. Yes, they are big and heavy, but they are powerful and for their size, both cars are surprisingly spry.
The members of the media quickly learned that the Dodge Challenger and Charger are both great vehicles on a twisty race track and buyers of SRT models who participated in the Bondurant schooling program got a chance to experience a car similar to theirs on a road course, but many modern Mopar owners really don’t know how well their car will handle a track with turns. The key reason for modern Mopar owners never experiencing their vehicle on a road course is that they simply don’t know how to get into road racing.
There is no question that drag racing is better publicized among muscle car owners and with the Challenger and Charger both being among the quickest production cars in the world, many modern Dodge owners enjoy drag racing. Those folks will happily provide another owner with information on how to get involved with drag racing, but for many, questions about getting involved with road racing go unanswered in social media circles.
That is where Track Shaker steps in to help. Founded by a group comprised mainly of modern Mopar owners, including Craig Keys, who has been featured here on Allpar in the past, this group of hardcore road racing enthusiasts have put together the ultimate resource for the road racing newbie.
Most importantly, Track Shaker isn’t an association that charges you to join just to get the information that you need. All of the information is free, listing literally everything that you need to know to go road racing in your Challenger, Charger, Viper or any other modern Mopar machine. In fact, you can go road racing with your classic Mopar, although you might find that a muscle car from the 1970s isn’t quite as much fun on a curvy course without some suspension upgrades.
The Track Shaker website has a simple five-step process for getting all of the items and knowledge needed to go road racing for the first time. The first step is a video that walks you through each of the sections on the website, along with providing a look at the complete process of getting involved with the world of road racing. The fifth step contains information on contacting the people who run the website, being featured, etc. The second, third and fourth steps are the areas where you can get everything that you need and everything that you need to know to get on a road course.
Step 2 includes a track locator that allows you to search within a specified distance of your location. When you put in your zip code and the distance that you are willing to travel, the Track Shaker system lists all of the road racing facilities in that range. That list of tracks not only shows you where the tracks are, but the list also includes a link to a calendar of events, the official track website and a map of the track itself.
Step 2 shows you where and when you can go road racing. Step 3 looks at some of the details needed to be on the track safely. This includes insurance that covers track damage, a detailed technical inspection list and a graphic that shows the flags used in road racing. The tech inspection sheet is vital and if you don’t know what the flags mean, you can be a danger to others on the track. The tech inspection sheet really is great for someone heading to the track for the first time, as it lists literally everything that you need to check before getting on the track. Really, the tech inspection list is a great asset even for experienced drivers.
In Step 4, Track Shaker looks at some other items needed for a day at the track, including your helmet, other safety gear, tools and random things like a chair and snacks. If you don’t know what size helmet you wear, what kind of helmet you need or where to buy the right helmet, Track Shaker has all of that information. In most cases, a helmet is technically the only required safety gear, but Track Shaker also has information on driving gloves, shoes and racing suits. The website also provides information on buying the tools needed, such as a torque wrench, tire pressure gauges, compact air compressors and more.
Finally, Step 4 has a checklist of everything that you need to bring and some things that you might want to bring to have a comfortable, fun day at the track.
Give Road Racing a Try
If you have a modern Mopar performance car and you have never gone road racing, it is something that I would recommend trying at least once.
As mentioned above, I have had the pleasure of pushing all of the modern Mopar performance machines to their limits on a road course and it is truly a completely different experience than driving fast on public roads or even drag racing. Modern Mopars handles far better than most people expect, so if you enjoy driving hard, but you don’t know how to go about getting involved with road racing, Track Shaker has everything that you need to get on track for the first time.
Below is the Track Shaker video that walks you through every step of the process of going road racing with your daily driven street vehicle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb-FIfdvlu4
All action shots provided by Christopher Cross for Track Shaker