The Dodge Durango SRT Pursuit concept, "Speed Trap," powered Dodge to a repeat as the winner in the Truck/SUV class in the 2019 One Lap of America.

The Dodge Durango SRT Pursuit concept, "Speed Trap," powered Dodge to a repeat as the winner in the Truck/SUV class in the 2019 One Lap of America. 

Uncategorized | May 13 2019

Dodge Durango SRT repeats Truck/SUV class win in One Lap of America

The one-off Dodge Durango SRT Pursuit “Speed Trap” concept laid down the law for high-performance SUVs in the 2019 Tire Rack One Lap of America.

After more than 4,000 miles over eight days, covering seven states and seven tracks, the 797-horsepower Durango SRT Pursuit concept, nicknamed “Speed Trap,” helped Dodge//SRT repeat as winner of the Truck/SUV category and placed 18th out of 77 competitors overall with drivers David Carr, SRT vehicle performance dynamics engineer, and David Hakim, automotive photojournalist and www.dodgegarage.com contributor.

That’s a notable performance in a field packed with expensive, high-performance sports cars that leave little room for long-distance travel comfort.

“The 2019 One Lap of America went really well. At every track we went to, we received numerous compliments on how well the vehicle handled and how good it sounded,” said Carr. “Being part of One Lap is a great experience as a driver, engineer and representative for FCA. We are able to show support to the many teams competing this year that used FCA vehicles while showcasing what the Dodge//SRT group is capable of.”

David Carr, SRT vehicle performance dynamics engineer and co-driver of the Dodge Durango SRT Pursuit concept nicknamed "Speed Trap" shows off the trophy for winning the Truck/SUV class in the 2019 One Lap of America.
David Carr, SRT vehicle performance dynamics engineer and co-driver of the Dodge Durango SRT Pursuit concept nicknamed “Speed Trap” shows off the trophy for winning the Truck/SUV class in the 2019 One Lap of America.

The One Lap week throws the full menu of motorsports competition at entrants – wet and dry skidpads, road courses and high-speed runs down the drag strip – at some of the country’s most regarded and challenging tracks, including Road America in Wisconsin, Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota and NCM Motorsports Park in Kentucky. In between the daily events, the driver teams must cover hundreds of miles to reach the next venue and run the weeklong marathon on one set of tires.

The variety of tracks motivated the series of modifications to an all-wheel-drive Dodge Durango SRT to create the one-off Durango SRT Pursuit “Speed Trap” concept. The major changes included installation of a supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI® high-output V-8 from a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye (for power), Mopar Performance lowering springs and upsized Brembo brake calipers and rotors (for cornering), and the Durango Pursuit Law Enforcement livery and Whelen light and siren package (for looks).

“Some of the tracks have very long straights, which allows us to reach very high speeds, but we need to make sure we can slow down, too,” said Carr. “Other tracks have ‘blind’ or ‘high risk’ corners that require trusting the vehicle to have grip and perform in a predictable way.”

A week on the road shows that the Dodge Durango SRT Pursuit concept “Speed Trap” was well-prepped to take on the One Lap of America.

Dale Jewett

Do you know your blood type? Mine is 100 octane (not your standard blood bank classification). At any given moment, I’m thinking about cars – driving one, fixing one, buying one or (in my dreams) restoring one. So I love to tell stories that involve horsepower, brake and wheel diameters
Read More
Do you know your blood type? Mine is 100 octane (not your standard blood bank classification). At any given moment, I’m thinking about cars – driving one, fixing one, buying one or (in my dreams) restoring one. So I love to tell stories that involve horsepower, brake and wheel diameters and 0-to-60 times – and the people who make it happen. Because behind every awesome vehicle are amazing people with vision and the desire to make it a reality. I cover Mopar, Dodge, SRT and motorsports for Stellantis Digital Media. I learned to drive on a 1973 Jeep CJ-5 with the rare Super Jeep option package and three-speed manual transmission. I still belong to the dwindling club of people who prefer to shift their own gears, and think the best way to drive is with the top down!