Starting back in 2019, the Legion of Demons racing event has been the biggest track meeting of 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT® Demon owners and for the 2024 edition of the event, the new 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 was included in the field. As the event has evolved over the past six years, event organizer Byron Godbee has opened the racing field to other Mopar® products, leading to an array of Dodge SRT Hellcat models, including other Challenger and Charger models, the Ram 1500 TRX, the Jeep® Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, the Dodge Viper and the Chrysler 300.
The event is held each year during the winter so that racers can enjoy the cold air, generally in Texas, where they don’t have to worry about snow. The combination of great track prep, cold air and input from experienced racers allows many people to run their personal best elapsed times. Since the first Legion of Demons event back in 2019, many stock 2018 SRT Demon owners have run in the mid-9s and some have matched the official Dodge time of 9.65.
For the 2024 Legion of Demons event at the Texas Motorplex, Godbee and his team opened the field to the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, leading to the biggest collection of 170 owners thus far. More importantly, although many owners were making their first trip to the track, a few ran in the 8s and many others were very close to the official Dodge time of 8.91.
One of the aspects of the Legion of Demons events that makes them unique and so great for racers is that Godbee caps the field to 75 vehicles. This is a pretty low number for a three-day track event, but keeping the number that low allows everyone to get a ton of passes while also allowing the veterans a chance to assist any new racers who want help getting their personal best times. Of those 75 cars at the 2024 Legion of Demons event, there were 24 SRT Demon 170s, 23 2018 SRT Demons, 21 SRT Hellcat-powered models (this includes Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcat and Redeye, Challenger Super Stock and Ram TRX), 3 Vipers, 2 Challenger Drag Paks, 1 Challenger 1320 and 1 2023 Chrysler 300C – with more than 250 people between the racers, their family members and crew members.
For the 2024 event, the air was a touch too cold at times, making traction difficult on the cold track surface, but over the course of three days, the field had over 17 hours of track time where air temperature was between 38 and 50 degrees while the density altitude varied between -1,000 feet and 500 feet. During those 17+ hours of track time, the 75 vehicles in attendance combined to make more than 1,000 quarter-mile passes and in the process, four Dodge drag racing world records were set.
Legion of Demon World Records
There were four Dodge drag racing world records set during the 2024 Legion of Demons event in Texas, including record numbers for the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, the third-generation Dodge Viper, the Dodge Challenger Super Stock and the Dodge Challenger 1320.
The 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 world record for the quickest privately owned car with no tuning of any kind was set by Nephtali Garibay:
“I got a call from my dealer that the car had been delivered on Saturday, December 23rd, but I had to wait until Tuesday, December 26 to pick it up. Very quickly I got the break in mileage and began preparing it for the Legion event. Installed my Kirkey seat and my Billet Specialties Win Lites. I headed out with zero track time as most other owners as well. One of the best things about our Legions events is the camaraderie and everyone’s willingness to help each other out. Overall, I was able to get 14 total passes and eight 8-second passes. Having the valuable think tank of the Legion of Demons members made my learning curve very sharp and I was able to help others achieve the same. I was perplexed by the fact that Dodge didn’t use those 2-ft. wheelies in their marketing strategy. I had never driven an 8-second car. I achieved the quickest D170 pass of the event of 8.945 @ 151.56 in +250 DA, and my best 60-ft. was a 1.24!! On a production car!! We need to do this again and very soon. Thanks Dodge for building the best car out there and thanks for the Legion crew for building an event to help us celebrate these amazing cars.”
Next up, Ricky Holcomb and his Dodge Challenger Super Stock set the world record for any car with a Direct Connection Stage 2 setup, running a 9.715 @ 139.81 miles per hour. Holcomb’s car still retains the factory warranty, even as it is running into the mid-9-second range.
Chris Ulanowicz and his Dodge Challenger 1320 reset the world record that he already held for the quickest stock-powered 392 vehicle:
“I reset my PB twice. Very 1st run of the weekend, I ran a 10.947 @ 123.72. Next morning, I improved with a 10.919 @ 123.09. Each PB also reset my own record for any vehicle powered by a stock 392 motor with factory stock tuning (still locked PCM and still has a powertrain warranty). And technically stock powertrain as the trans, driveline, suspension is all stock as well. Mods are just a LOT of weight reduction and 17″ drag wheel setup. That 10.91 even happened after the DA had crossed into positive territory too! I also won the Bracket Class for the 2nd year in a row along with meeting some great new people!”
Finally, Rachel Dugas set the world record for the quickest and fastest third-generation Dodge Viper, laying down an incredible 7.49 @ 186 miles per hour. You can read more about that run by clicking here.
2024 Legion of Demons Class Results
While Godbee started the Legion of Demons events as a way to help other 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demons get the best possible track times, this event isn’t just about time runs. There is also a racing program with a handful of classes, including the Legion of Demons Unlimited Class, the Sipple Speed and Performance 8.5 Heavyweight Class, the IC Chillers 9.0 Index Class and the Jarvis Tire Pros Bracket class. This year, there was also an award for the lowest E.T. by an SRT Demon 170 and another for the highest wheelie by an SRT Demon 170.
Sam Beagles and his Dodge Challenger Drag Pak won the Legion of Demons Unlimited Class.
Bo Gentile won the Sipples Speed and Performance 8.5 Heavyweight class in his Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye – marking it first-ever class win.
Paul Rutkowski won the IC Chillers 9.0 Index Class in his Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye.
Paul was also the recipient of the Ray Zografos free ride drawing, meaning that he won back his entry fee for the event.
“No personal bests, although all 4 of my passes in the 9.0 index likely would have been. My PB was 8.87 and based on my 1/8 time, I would’ve been at or better than that time if I didn’t have to lift to keep from breaking out. Just overall – great time, great people, great environment. Was blown away by the track prep given the conditions,” said Rutkowski. “Took me until elims on Saturday to figure out what the car liked with all that traction – definitely not what I was expecting in single-digit wind chills Every pass at LoD was in an 8.9x to 9.0x window, and likely would’ve had several 8.8x passes if I’d figured the car and track out sooner. So super stoked to take home the 9.0 index trophy with so little time on the setup. Thanks again for a great event!”
Chris Ulanowicz, mentioned above for his Challenger 1320 record, won the Jarvis Tire Pros Bracket class.
Nephtali Garibay was the winner of the award for the lowest E.T. by an SRT Demon 170 racer, earning him a certificate for a free set of Billet Specialties wheels, and Ben Blalock won the award for the biggest wheelie by an SRT Demon 170.
SRT Demon 170 Results
Byron Godbee explained that of the 24 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 racers in attendance, 21 of them were within two tenths of a second of the official Dodge E.T. There were three racers in the 8s, eleven which ran 9.00-9.11 and seven which ran 9.11-9.21 – impressive results seeing as how this was the first time at the track with this car for many of the owners.
“9.16 was my personal best in my new never run 170. Now that I know a little better how to run it, 8’s are just around the corner! Absolutely love the 170, it’s an amazing car. Had a blast in Dallas. We will definitely be back again next year.”
– Tripp Carter
“Ran a personal best of any vehicle I’ve owned. 9.11 @ 148. Demon 170 needs time to learn for sure!”
– Kenny Woolsey
“Second pass ever on the D170, with me driving it went 8.99 @ 151.”
– Jim Marino
“I had a new personal best of 9.14 @ 147 on all OEM components including the wheels and tires. That was after I finally was able to get the car off the line after trying several times to roll into the throttle just right like Byron told me! His advice was spot on! It’s just hard to retrain your foot to push the throttle slowly LOL. That 9.14 @ 147 was at the end of the day Saturday.”
– John Plog
“The quickest was my first-ever pass in the 170. Went 8.95 @ 151.59. Had two additional hits that were 8.97’s, one hit 152 mph. More than happy with the performance of the car and definitely more in it. I need to change the plugs in the car as many people were saying they had issues with the car missing and I could feel the same. As always, Victoria and I had a wonderful time and feel very fortunate to be a part of this group since its inception in 2019.”
– Mike Mulder
Input from Racers
The vast majority of the people who have participated in the Legion of Demons have only great things to say about this racer-centric event, and we wanted to share a few quotes from some of the competitors at this year’s race.
“I’ve been negotiating on a 170 since the event. Just made a deal and supposed to pick it up tomorrow. I got the info on the car at the event. Great community. I never would have got this done without the event.”
– Ken Bradshaw
“Had a great time on the track, a great time! I learn more each time at your events. Always found help, advice and enjoyed everyone’s company. Thanks to the entire team. They deserve a lot of credit being out there in that extreme weather.”
– Bob Davis
“I had a PB of 10.08 @136. That puts me in the top 5 for DC stage 2 kits and within striking distance of breaking into the 9’s with a Redeye. This was a fantastic event that will be on my annual calendar. My crew buddy is a devout Corvette guy and he had a blast. Also worth mentioning 5 or 6 consecutive 10.156 passes….. super consistent. I’ll be back next year with wheels and tires from Billet Specialties to get that 9-sec pass.”
– Mark Itzstein
“I got a Personal Record with my car that is stock motor and stock tune. Only modifications are weight reduction (500 lbs). I ran a 9.747 sec @ 138.1 mph. I also had one of the best experiences ever when I matched up against my friend Doug Redd in his F8 Green Demon 170 on Saturday. His car was my favorite car at the event. Our two F8 green cars got to run side by side and to top it off this also ended up being my PR run! All this action happened in this one race! Memorable to say the least.”
– Bob Glaspie, Sponsor – CVI Complete Vehicle Integration
“This quickly turned into one of my favorite events in 20 years at the Texas Motorplex. It is nice to see how far Dodge has came. Byron and Sue Ellen have clearly put a lot of work into this event, and it shows. It was great getting to see the commitment that all these racers have into these Demons. Between the wheelies and PBs I can’t wait to see what’s next. I look forward to having them back in 2025 even bigger and better!”
– Eric “Cheeseburger” McClelland
“Last year, my friend Jim told me about the Demons Race and I went with him as a crew member to help him race his car. The race was awesome! I learned a lot, made some friends, and figured out what I wanted to do with my car . . . Nothing!! LOL I need to run it stock and learn how to drive it while gaining experience. We decided to just do a 100 octane tune as my first modification. WOW! Jon’s tune made 815 RWHP and ran a best of 9.666 at 142 mph on stock pulleys! I was pumped and decided I wanted to take it to the Legion 6 Race and see how it stacked up against other stock pulley cars. The Redeye did not disappoint, running a 9.68 at 140mph. My Redeye took 2nd place in the Bracket Race with Ron Silva piloting the car. Ron has taught me a lot and has provided me with amazing advice on how to make this car work. I want to thank Byron Godbee for putting on this race. He is a standup guy who loves racing and was great to deal with. Racing with the Demons has introduced me to some great friends, knowledgeable resources and lifetime experiences that I will never forget. If you have a Dodge and love racing, you need to bring your car to this event!!”
– Jeff Simon
“Nowhere else can you find so many successful like-minded individuals than at a LoD event. The camaraderie between the owners is what makes coming back year after year so damn much fun. LoD is the only event with the perfect mix of helpfulness, knowledge and competitiveness all wrapped up in one usually cold, windy and wonderful weekend.”
– Ben “Warloc” Blalock
Godbee is already planning the next Legion of Demons event for 2025, with early entry for the 75 spots for next year’s events opening on June 1st.
Images: ©2024 LEGION OF DEMONS RACING/SEROSS-GODBEE