The Red Baron Reigns: Jeff Sherwin’s Charger SRT8 is the World’s Quickest N/A Modern Mopar®

While most of the fastest modern Dodge Chargers rely on forced induction, Jeff Sherwin has taken a different path – a high-flying, record-setting naturally aspirated one. His 2007 Dodge Charger SRT8, famously named The Red Baron, has been wheel-standing and rewriting the N/A record books for over a decade – no superchargers, turbos or nitrous needed.

Sherwin’s Charger was the first naturally aspirated modern Mopar_® to break into the 10s, then the 9s and finally the 8s. Today, it holds the crown as both the Quickest N/A Gen III HEMI^® and the Quickest N/A Modern Mopar in the world – recently clocking an astounding 8.259 @ 160.37 mph.

From Street Cruiser to Strip Legend

Jeff’s Mopar journey started with a 2006 Charger R/T. While new to drag racing, he was drawn in fast, upgrading to an SRT8 and heading to Sonoma Raceway on weekends. With just a cold air intake and catback exhaust, the desire to go quicker took hold.

Next came ported heads and a cam from High Horse Performance (HHP), and the addiction was official. Weight reduction became part of the plan early, Sherwin always knew this build would stay all motor.

Building The Red Baron

Back in the early days, there weren’t many shops building N/A Mopar vehicles at this level. Sherwin credits key relationships that helped shape the car into what it is today. Some of the major milestones:

Bob Crespo helped with early Diablosport tuning and recommended the original high-stall Edge Racing converter. With a stock short block and heads/cam combo, the car ran 10.84 at Atco – a breakthrough moment.
High Horse Performance offered early sponsorship. Bruce Maichle at HHP converted the Charger into a dedicated racecar, dropping in a TH400 and a Bischoff aluminum block setup running Q16.
David Barton – known for his NHRA-winning N/A Drag Pak program – built a 15:1 compression engine using a Mopar 6.1 aluminum block and experimental heads. Sherwin also upgraded to a Holley HP ECU to escape the limits of the factory electronics.

Barton’s setups pushed the car deep into the 8s, experimenting with intakes and eventually switching to twin 4-barrel throttle bodies, netting an 8.68 @ 152 mph. Sherwin notes that despite popular belief, the car was not faster without the wheelies, it just made for better photos.

The Wheelie King

When The Red Baron launches, it launches. The wheelies became a signature, thanks to the right combo of:

Santhuff double adjustable shocks
TH400 with transbrake
6200+ rpm stall converter
Mickey Thompson Pro Bracket Radials

“The car was very wheelie-happy,” Sherwin recalls. “Either it would sky the bumper or spin the tires.” A wheelie bar eventually tamed it, but not before producing some legendary runs and photos.

Back on Top

Sherwin’s previous 8.68 record was briefly bested by other N/A Gen III HEMI racers like Greg Davies (8.66) and Kent Irwin (8.36). Determined to reclaim the top spot, Sherwin sourced a Hellephant aluminum block and waited over a year for a custom Bryant crank.

The new setup includes:

Dailey dry sump oiling
Thitek heads
Jesel valvetrain
Twin Accufab 4500 throttle bodies
Holley Hi-Ram intake
Coan 7800 stall converter
American Racing Headers (2” primary)

This combo put down 1,076 HP and 700 lb-ft of torque, with power peaking around 9,200 rpm. Sherwin swapped in a lower first gear (2.21) to help the car leave cleanly, and it delivered.

On December 13, 2025, at Famoso Raceway, The Red Baron stormed back with a record-smashing 8.259 @ 160.37 mph, reclaiming both titles with a 1.154 60-ft and 5.227 @ 130.64 mph 1/8th-mile.

Giving Credit Where It’s Due

Sherwin’s success is the product of relentless refinement and support from key collaborators:

David Barton remains his tuning guru and a vital problem-solver.
Bruce Maichle helped guide key hardware selections.
Craig at Coan nailed the converter spec.
Jason Hensley, aka “The Track Whisperer”, consistently dialed in suspension settings remotely, using only cellphone videos.

Sherwin also gives credit to track staff across the West Coast, his wife for track support, and the wider Mopar racing community. He’s planning a move to East Tennessee and looks forward to joining the Modern Street HEMI Shootout circuit in 2026.