About a year ago, we brought you the news that a group of Dodge racers had dominated the Heavyweight class at TX2K 2024 and today, we have similar exciting news from the 2025 gathering of the world’s quickest street cars. For the second year in a row, the final round in the TX2K Heavyweight class was a pair of HEMI® engine-powered monsters built by Baily’s Hyperformance. This resulted in the second-straight year of Dodge drivers sweeping the class – with Chris Baily driving his world record-holding Dodge Challenger SRT® Demon to the win, with Casey Hoong and his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat in the runner-up spot.
HEMI engine-powered vehicles were dominant in the 2025 TX2K class from the start of the event, with the top four qualifying spots being occupied by familiar names in the Mopar® racing community. Chris Baily – the owner of Baily’s Hyperformance – put his world’s-quickest 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon in the top spot, with Casey Hoong and his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat in the second spot, Jay Curry and his Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat in the third position and Adam Schindler put his world’s-quickest Jeep® Grand Cherokee Trackhawk in the fourth spot on the 15-vehicle ladder. Those of you who read our piece from TX2K 2024 may recall that Hoong won the Heavyweight class last year and Curry finished third. For those wondering, Hoong’s car was unchanged from last year.
The four HEMI engine-powered top qualifiers all made it through round one, but when Curry lost to the Chevrolet Camaro of Todd Folmer in round two, the Heavyweight semifinals consisted of Baily’s Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, Hoong’s Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, Schindler’s Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk and Folmer’s Camaro.
In the semis, Hoong and his Charger grabbed a slight starting line advantage (.358 to .360) and when Folmer ran into issues and shut it down, the SRT Hellcat sedan roared to an easy win with a 8.143 at 165.59 miles per hour. On the other half of the bracket, the battle between Baily’s SRT Demon and Schindler’s Trackhawk saw the Jeep take the early advantage on the starting line (.248 to .480), but Chris Baily drove around him on the big end to take the win – running a 7.964 at 178.61 miles per hour while Schindler ran an 8.381 at 169.77 miles per hour.
In the finals, Hoong had a daunting task – taking on the man who built his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat in a car that had been quicker throughout the event. With Hoong running in the 8.1X range and Chris Baily’s SRT Demon running in the 7.9X range, the Charger would need a big starting line advantage to have a shot at the win. However, when Baily and his SRT Demon got out first (.254 to .386), he secured the win, running an 8.075 to Hoong’s 8.090.
We spoke with each of the Dodge-driving finalists and have included their thoughts on TX2K 2025 below.
Casey Hoong
“TX2K 2025 – what a weekend! TX2K 2025 was definitely one for the books! Despite an early setback with a busted oil cooler line, I was able to make a clean A-to-B pass, landing the #2 qualifying spot with an 8.28 @ 165 mph. The next day, with better air conditions, we made another qualifier and improved to 8.24 @ 164 mph. At that point, Chris Baily, Zdung Ho and I were satisfied and left it as is.
“Heading into eliminations, my mindset was simple – go out there and have fun. And that’s exactly what I did! Making it to the finals was a whole different experience. Whether it was the pressure of being in the finals again or the fact that I was lining up against my friend Chris Baily, I could feel the excitement building. I knew I was up against a beast – his Dodge Demon – but at the end of the day, this was all about enjoying the moment. No matter what, two Baily’s Hyperformance-built cars were in the finals for the Heavyweight class, and that alone was a win.
“During the final round, I ran a new personal best of 8.09 @ 170 mph! Chris’s Demon took the win, securing the championship, but it was an incredible final round for both of us. Overall, TX2K 2025 was an unforgettable experience. My car performed phenomenally, especially considering it had been sitting in the trailer for more than three-quarters of the year. With nothing but fresh fluids and new plugs, it went out and put in work. Let’s not forget – it still weighs 4,375 lbs and is running blower-only, no nitrous! Huge shoutout to Baily’s Hyperformance for building me an absolute monster, Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center for keeping it maintained with top-tier parts, and NYA Photography for the incredible media coverage. Until next time!”
Chris Baily
“TX2K25 was one for the history books, as Baily’s Hyperformance took center stage with our 2018 Twin-Turbo Demon. Featuring a brand-new Dart block, custom JE pistons, Boostline rods, a bolt-on Hellion twin-turbo kit, and a built 8-speed Sipple transmission, the car was a testament to cutting-edge engineering. Our premier sponsor, Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center, played a crucial role in our success, along with our revolutionary Baily’s Hyperformance Turbo ECU, seamlessly integrated with the stock ECU and expertly tuned by ZH Tunes. This marked a major milestone as the first-ever twin-turbo factory ECU Mopar to compete at the highest level in TX2K history.
“This year’s event carried special significance, as we raced in memory of our dear friend T.J. Bailey, a cornerstone of the Texas racing community and the Texas Motorplex. The stakes were high, and the entire team was determined to deliver a performance worthy of his legacy.
“From the first round to the finals, our Demon was on a mission, running consistently in the 7.8- to 7.9-second range at over 178 mph. Baily’s Hyperformance dominated the Heavyweight class, securing seven of the top ten qualifying spots and proving our reputation as a powerhouse in the industry.
“The finals were an unforgettable moment, as two Baily’s-built machines went head-to-head for the championship. Facing off against Casey – last year’s Heavyweight champ and a proud member of the Baily’s team – it was an honor to see both of our cars battle it out on the biggest stage.
“Off the line, my Demon launched hard, but sixty feet out, the tires shook. Determined to reset the record, I hit the scramble button. However, the extra boost caused the tires to break loose at the top end, forcing me to pedal it. Despite the challenge, we took home the 1st place victory, with Casey securing 2nd place in his Baily’s-built car.
“I am incredibly proud of Casey as a driver and of the vehicle we built, which has been competing at the highest level for over two years now. Seeing our machines take the top two spots at TX2K25 is a testament to the performance, reliability and cutting-edge innovation behind Baily’s Hyperformance.
“With our continued advancements in ECU technology and record-setting builds, we’re just getting started.”
Photo credit: Tori Dobbs, NYA Photographer
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