Image via Wheels/YouTube
Several years ago, people were marveling over a race that showed a Tesla Model S P100D roasting a Dodge Hellcat. The EV crowd, as well as nerds who still held a grudge about getting beat up by guys who drove muscle cars in high school, laughed mercilessly at the Mopar for losing on the dragstrip. Fast forward to 2025 and we have a Tesla Model Y crossover racing a new Dodge Charger Daytona EV.
Check out this amazing ’63 Corvette Split Window drag racer.
My, how times change. Dodge, for better or worse, has leaped in the direction of electrification after giving the movement the big middle finger for years. As a result, many enthusiasts have mocked the new “appliance” from Mopar as it remains uncertain how many the company will be able to sell.
In other words, there’s a lot riding on this drag race. If the all-electric Dodge Charger can smoke the Tesla, some EV enthusiasts might be convinced to give the American brand (that’s owned by a huge European corporation) a shot.
But if the Charger Daytona loses, the EV crowd will just laugh about how backwards Dodge is, chalking the loss up to that.
However, win or lose, most muscle car enthusiasts are either going to mock Dodge or loathe the direction the brand has taken. They might not even watch the race, or do so while holding their nose.
A few might be genuinely interested to see what the new EV can bring on the track. But we think Stellantis has misjudged just how many are truly excited for this car versus one with a fire-breathing, thumping V8.
If you watch this race between the Tesla and Dodge EVs, just like you’d probably expect, it’s a little bizarre. After all, both cars are virtually silent, so the saber-rattling aspect of drag races is just not a thing. Sadly, it sucks out a lot of the fun of the sport. Neither one even does a burnout. It’s just sad.
Don’t even get us started on the elapsed times and trap speeds. My how times change, and not always for the better.
Image via Wheels/YouTube
