A 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 with the 10-speed transmission gets broken in at the track with both stock tires and drag radials.
While the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is built for far more than just drag racing, it is no secret that many Camaro owners will spend at least some time at the strip with their Chevy muscle car. With the 650 horsepower LT4 engine and the lightning-quick 10-speed automatic transmission, the 6th gen Camaro ZL1 is the quickest in a long line of a badass muscle cars. We can definitely expect to see plenty of them rocketing down the quarter mile as more and more reach private owners around the country.
This week’s Drag Race Monday video features one of those 2017 Camaro ZL1 coupes with that 10-speed transmission making some benchmark runs in factory stock form, along with making one run with drag radial tires.
The video begins with a series of burnout clips from the side of the track and then from the driver’s view, giving us a look at the function of the built-in line lock system. After the burnout, the new Camaro ZL1 makes a full quarter mile pass with a time of 11.52 at 124.61mph – with some obvious traction issues on the launch.
Next, the Camaro ZL1 gets a set of drag radials and after a nice, smokey burnout, the blown muscle car makes another pass down the track – this time running an 11.24 at 124.44mph. He makes a few more runs with the DRs, but the car doesn’t turn better times, running an 11.26 in the last race where it gets throttled by a CTS-V.
The video ends with a shot of the timeslip from the best all-stock run of the day, with the 2017 Camaro ZL1 laying down an 11.30 at 124.633mph.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
