The monster known as the 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat is able to throw down as much as 707 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, making it quite simply the most powerful American muscle car, period. Amen. While some people might see those figures and say “Enough is enough”, others merely see this as the starting point for something even more powerful…and it’s amazing the effect a few minor modifications can have on the Challenger Hellcat.

Using a 50 shot of nitrous, a cold air intake, methanol injection, a beefier driveshaft, racing slicks, and an upgraded tune, a Dodge Challenger Hellcat driver took his machine almost down into the single digits. The teasingly-close run of 10.03 at 140 MPH is less than a blink of the eye away from the single digits, and with what are essentially bolt-on modifications.

While one can argue about just how “stock” a Hellcat with a 50 shot of nitrous really is, keep in mind that the engine was never cracked open, and the 8-speed transmission remains totally untouched. You’ve also got to remember that this Hellcat has a fully-loaded leather interior, navigation, and climate control system on board, making it a fully-street legal machine capable of clipping a single-digit drag time. According to FCA, a stock Challenger Hellcat is good for a 10.85 at 126 MPH, less than a second slower than this mildly-modified example. That’s impressive regardless of which way you cut it.

All it would take at this point to get this particular Hellcat into the single digits is a cooler night or some slightly warmer tires. Hell, if the driver could lose about 10 pounds, that might be enough to slip into the 9s. So close, yet so far, and until the first digit is a 9, it just doesn’t count.