If you took a brand new Ram TRX straight from the dealership to the drag strip for a test & tune night, you wouldn't be the slowest vehicle there. Ram lists its Hellcat-powered off-roader as turning the quarter-mile in 12.9 seconds, reaching 108 mph in the process. That's almost as good as a Dodge Challenger SRT 392, but what about some old-school muscle cars built to live a quarter-mile at a time?
That's what we face in this short but sweet drag racing video from Drag Racing and Car Stuff on YouTube. Truth be told, we've seen all kinds of TRX drag races but very few have taken place at an actual prepped strip. To make the most of the grip, the driver of this red TRX swaps off-road tires for four slicks. As for other modifications on the truck, we have no idea but we can say with certainty that this Ram isn't stock. We'll explain in a bit.
For that matter, its competition isn't stock, either. The video simply lists it as a Chevrolet Nova, and to our eye, it looks like an example from the early 1970s, possibly a 1972 model. It wears an SS badge in the grille, and like the TRX, we have no idea exactly what's modified on this old muscle car. Between the hood and the meaty slicks on the back, we'd say it's a very healthy car designed solely to blast down the track in a straight line.
Here's where we confirm neither vehicle is stock. When the light goes green, both leap off the line with the TRX driver getting the slightest of jumps. We're treated to a V8 symphony, though the Ram's exhaust note is easily the loudest. We hear five distinct gear changes as it roars down the track, but in the other lane, the old Nova is right freaking there. The Ram crosses the line in 10.92 seconds, posting a speed of 124 mph. Both numbers are way above those of a stock TRX, and the speed is actually beyond the manufacturer-limited speed of 118 mph.
Those numbers are also well beyond the capability of a stock Nova back in the day, but this one crosses the finish line at nearly the same speed. Specifically, it reached 123.9 mph, while covering the distance in 11.1 seconds. Yes, the win goes to the TRX. But only just.
Still, that's not bad at all for a 6,000-pound pickup truck with four doors, seating for five, and the ability to fly over sand dunes.
