New Corvette ZR1 with manual transmission runs 10-second quarter mile.
This week’s “Drag Race Monday” video comes to us from the CCD Racing Channel on YouTube and it features a 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 making a few quarter mile runs. Unlike previous videos that show the LT5-powered Vette struggling to get near the 10s with the manual transmission, this car reels off back-to-back 10-second passes in his C7.
The Details
Unfortunately, there are no details accompanying this video, but this is the 2019 Corvette ZR1 owned by YouTuber StreetSpeed717. This car is stock with the 7-speed manual transmission and in this video, it is making a few passes at Cecil County Dragway in Maryland. This is the same car that spent the day stuck in the 11s a few weeks back, but this time, he is able to cut a ton of time – dipping into the high-10s in stock form.
Of course, it should be noted that Cecil County is a particularly fast track due to its elevation and surface prep, but in any case, this YouTuber and his Corvette are finally turning respectable numbers.
The Racing Action
The video above shows the 2019 Corvette ZR1 making three passes down the quarter mile. The first run is against a Dodge Challenger R/T that we happen to know runs in the low 12s followed by two runs against a heavily modified Ford Fairmont station wagon.
On the first run, the Challenger gets out to an early lead with a better reaction time, but we can see that the ZR1 quickly catches and passes the Dodge well before half-track. We cant see the big board, but the guy filming the race is kind enough to call out the elapsed time of 10.95.
On the second run, the Ford gets out to a slight advantage at the starting line, but the Corvette stays close enough through the early stages of the race to get the win with a 10.94.
Finally, on the last run of the video and the second against the wood-paneled wagon, the Chevy once again stays close at the starting line and the ZR1 quickly catches up around mid-track, but when the driver misses third gear, the run is scrapped and old Ford gets the win. We don’t get an ET for that last run, but with StreetSpeed717 missing a gear, the run was likely up in the 11s.
"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.
