When Dodge introduced the 2023 Challenger SRT® Demon 170, the company allowed current owners of a 2018 Challenger SRT Demon to order an SRT Demon 170 with a VIN that matched their 2018 model. One of the people who took Dodge up on that offer is Jim Marino, who owns 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon #216 and 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 #216, and while participating in the 2025 Legion of Demons event in Texas, Marino got footage of his VIN-matched and colored-matched Dodge muscle cars storming down the track side-by-side. In speaking with a variety of experts throughout the Mopar® community, this is believed to be the first time that a pair of VIN-matched 2018 and 2023 SRT Demons have battled on the track.
Before getting into this unique video of two VIN-matched Dodge Challenger SRT Demons racing head-to-head, we want to run through the details of each car.
Jim Marino’s 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon was ordered with the leather front seats, the rear seat delete and Demonic Red seat belts. This car is the more heavily modified of the two, with the supercharged HEMI® engine sporting a 10% ATI lower pulley, 1300 ID fuel injectors, catless mid pipes, a Kenne bell boost-a-pump and a tune by ZDung Ho. This 2018 SRT Demon also has a transmission that was built by Jon Sipple from Sipple Speed and Performance, cradle lockouts from AAD Performance and a Per4Mance Development differential brace. During the 2025 Legion of Demons event, this car ran a best time of 9.16 at 151 miles per hour with Nicohl Marino driving.
As for Marino’s 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, it was ordered to go racing, so it has cloth front seats, a rear seat delete, the basic sound system and Demonic Red seat belts. The engine, transmission, differential and suspension of this car are all stock, but he has removed some weight by replacing an assortment of factory items with lighter, aftermarket options. The factory seats have been replaced with lightweight race seats, a Darrel Cox Racing lithium battery replaces the stock battery, Complete Vehicle Integration aluminum front and rear bumper supports replaced those stock components, the front sway bar has been removed and the factory wheels and tires have been replaced by lighter rollers. It should be noted that at the event, Jim Marino’s SRT Demon 170 tipped the scales right at 4,300 pounds with the driver.
As mentioned above, the race in the video below took place at the 2025 Legion of Demons event in Texas, where Marino campaigned both of his supercharged Dodge muscle cars. While he drove one of the cars, the other was driven by his daughter, Nicohl, or his long-time friend, Mike Mulder. During that three-day event, the team made 14 quarter-mile passes with the 2018 SRT Demon and 16 runs with the 2023 SRT Demon 170, with Marino’s 2023 car finishing second-quickest among all of the 170s in attendance with an 8.94 at 153.11 miles per hour while being the runner-up in the 9.00 class. That 8.94 run also makes Marino’s 2023 SRT Demon 170 the third-quickest privately owned SRT Demon 170 in the country.
The video below shows Jim Marino’s 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 in the right lane being driven by Mike Mulder, while his 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is in the near lane with Marino at the wheel. Marino pulls a slightly better reaction time in the near lane with both cars pulling the front wheels off of the ground, but the 170 quickly pulls into the lead and draws away. On the big end, the 2023 SRT Demon 170 runs an 8.978 while the 2018 SRT Demon runs a 9.249.
As a side note, the supercharged Dodge Challengers in the video below are not the only VIN-matched and color-matched SRT Demons owned by Jim Marino. He also has 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon #2779 and 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 #2779, both of which are painted B5 Blue. While Marino races and drives his Octane Red 2018 and 2023 SRT Demons, the B5 pair is stored with low mileage – 1,400 miles on the 2018 and just 23 miles on the 2023.
In closing, Jim Marino wants to thank his West Coast team – Mike Mulder, Bryan Sloan, Ron Silva, Nicohl Marino, Victoria Mulder and Tim Marino.
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