Tempted With a Good Time

In the parking lot of Tire Rack’s headquarters, surrounded by the organized chaos that marks the end of One Lap of America 2025, Steve Loudin stands beside his latest weapon of choice – a Dodge Viper that’s been his faithful companion through another grueling 4,000-mile journey across a handful of America’s finest racetracks. For most people, completing One Lap of America once would be a lifetime achievement. For Louden, 2025 marks his 17th year returning to what he describes as both torture and pure joy.

“This is my 17th year,” Loudin says with the matter-of-fact tone of someone who’s made cross-country racing a yearly pilgrimage. What started as curiosity in 2006 has evolved into an obsession that has seen him pilot everything from SRT8 Magnums to SRT^® Hellcat Durangos, from Corvette ZR1s to Ferrari Lusso. But through it all, his heart keeps returning to a particular breed of American snake: the Dodge Viper.

Loudin’s One Lap journey began in 2006 with an SRT8 Magnum – a practical choice when tackling an event requiring participants to transport themselves, a co-driver and everything you need to take care of the car and two people for more than a week as you race across the country. He returned to the Magnum a few times over the years. Building familiarity with the event’s unique demands. But by 2008, something had changed.

“I said to my co-driver at the time, ‘I’m tired of bringing a knife to a gunfight,'” Loudin recalls. That realization led him to purchase a 2008 SRT-10 Viper.

The transition from Magnum to Viper wasn’t just about speed, it was about philosophy. Loudin’s first Viper was a 2003 convertible that, in Steve’s own words, was “Almost a racecar” built for Viper Days and the Viper Challenge series. But the open-top configuration had him questioning his mortality every time he strapped into the car. “I’m thinking to myself, if I roll this car, am I going to live?” Once you start thinking about your own head being part of the crash structure, if the car happens to be upside down, that can change your mind about racing a convertible.

Safety concerns led him to purchase a competition coupe, but, on the back of Steve’s mind, the 2008 SRT-10 represented the perfect compromise for One Lap of America: serious performance with reasonable street manners.

The first year with the Viper proved the decision was right. With major sponsorship from Prefix Corporation and co-driver Tom Drewer, Loudin finished One Lap in third place overall. Prefix even repainted the bright blue Viper in their corporate colors and added the ACR aero package, creating a purposeful-looking machine that meant business.

“We came in third place” that first year, Loudin remembers, and it only fueled his desire to push harder. For the next six years, he and various co-drivers continuously developed the Viper, always seeking that extra edge. They upgraded the motor, opting to remove the Mahle “Cam in Cam” setup for a rigid cam. The car also received one of the first sequential gearboxes fitted to a Viper for competition use.

But success came with consequences. “We ended up retiring the car like four times because our improvements were too much,” Loudin explains. The sequential gearbox proved to be the final straw; it grenaded itself after winning the wet skid pad at Tire Rack, forcing retirement on the way to Mid-America Speedway in Iowa.

That particular Viper had evolved beyond its original purpose. “The car was basically retired from One Lap of America use because it was more racecar than it was streetcar.” The very modifications that made it faster had compromised its ability to handle the unique demands of One Lap, where reliability over thousands of back-to-back highway miles matters every bit as much as ultimate lap times.

Perhaps the most entertaining One Lap entry came in the form of an SRT Hellcat Durango. “That thing was an absolute hoot,” Loudin grins and says. “Track officials at Road Atlanta wanted to kick us out because we were running 150 mph at the end of the back stretch in a 5,500-pound SUV. We had to throw the anchor out at the 600 marker instead of the usual 200 board to make the turn at 10a.” The image of him launching the massive SUV completely over the rumble strips at turn five became legendary among track day regulars.

For 2025, Louden returned to his roots with another Viper. The car was delivered directly to Complete Performance Motorsports for preparation, including installation of a roll bar – a requirement Loudin imposed on himself after moving to Daytona Beach, just 10 minutes from the speedway. “I had said to my wife when we moved there, ‘I’m not driving a car on Daytona without a roll bar,'” he explains. Loudin understands that safety equipment isn’t optional when you’re hitting 180 mph on a course where, in his words, “sh*t happens really fast!”

What keeps bringing Loudin back year after year? The answer lies in the unique nature of One Lap of America itself. Unlike traditional racing, One Lap combines the challenges of long-distance touring with the demands of track competition. It requires cars that can cruise comfortably at highway speeds for thousands of miles, then immediately deliver competitive lap times on demanding road courses. Oh, did I mention, you must finish this event on the same set of tires you started on? One Lap demands repeatable performance and mechanical sympathy in total harmony. Not an easy combination to find. And definitely something most would believe a Viper is capable of. Mr. Loudin seems to have cracked the code, and it is a remarkable thing to witness.

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The Viper, with its combination of raw power, mechanical simplicity and robust construction, represents the perfect tool for this job. It’s a car that speaks to enthusiasts who aren’t afraid to turn wrenches, who appreciate the direct connection between driver and machine, and who understand that sometimes the best solution is also the most straightforward one.

As Steve looks toward future One Lap events, he’s already dreaming of new projects. His ultimate goal? Taking a widebody SRT Hellcat Charger, converting it to a Magnum wagon configuration, and dropping in an “Hellephant” motor with a sequential transmission. “That’s a $300,000 bill to do it right,” he admits, “but that’s the only way I would do it.”

For now, though, he’s content with his latest Viper, ready for whatever challenges One Lap 2026 might bring. After 17 years, Steve Loudin has proven that sometimes the best love affairs are the ones that bring you back to where you started.