Lightning Battles Chevy S10 in the Eighth Mile

F-150 Lightning struggles in the first round of qualifying, but it pulls it all together to beat the Chevy.

In the drag racing world, there are few trucks that are as respected as the Ford F-150 SVT Lightning, which was the quickest and fastest pickup in the world when it was introduced. Even today, more than a decade after the final Lightning was built by the Motor Company, it is common to see these factory-supercharged half-ton trucks tearing down the drag strip and beating whatever lines up.

The video above comes to us from the Free Life Films YouTube channel and it features one of the quickest F-150 Lightning pickups in the world. In this footage, the SVT-prepared truck is taking on a pair of Chevrolet products at the Yellowbullet Nationals with impressive results, even though one run didn’t result in a great elapsed time.

Lightning Versus Chevys

The video above features four qualifying runs from the 2018 Yellowbullet Nationals at Cecil County Dragway and four different vehicles. This includes the white F-150 Lightning, a pale metallic green Chevy S10, a red General Motors muscle car from the late 1960s and a Fox Body Mustang.

We don’t have any details on the classic GM muscle car or the Mustang, but we have some basic details on the two trucks. The Lightning is driven by Jimmy Dolan and it packs a twin turbocharged V8 while the little Chevy is driven by Mike Gerber and his V8 makes big power with the help of nitrous oxide. Clearly, both of these trucks are built for racing, with custom body work and the suspension work needed to handle the big power.

In the case of the white F-150 Lightning, it is using the power a little too much, leading to a shaky first run, but Dolan pulls it together when it counts.

Track Battles

The first clip shows the F-150 taking on the classic GM muscle car, and while the Ford truck jumps out to a huge early lead, it pulls the front wheels so high into the air that the back bumper scrapes. At that point, Dolan lifts off of the throttle, the nose slams down and one of the parachutes opens, leading to a crappy run as the muscle car takes the win. However, on this trash run, the Lightning still runs a 5.99 eighth mile.

The next run shows the Fox Body Mustang taking on the bottled S10. Both vehicles get a great launch, leading to an awesome side-by-side run, with the Chevy pickup taking the close win, running a 4.49 to the Mustang’s 4.59.

Finally, the two trucks square off and we get to watch as the both clean off their tires and inch up to the starting line. This time, the Lightning lifts the front tires a bit, as does the S10, but both trucks keep the noses down for a pair of clean runs down the quarter mile. The F-150 gets to the finish line first, running a 4.43 at 165 to the Chevy’s 4.45 at 162.

Crank up your speakers and enjoy!

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Patrick Rall

"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.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

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