Image credit: HubGarage.com

Who says you can’t go fast on the hefty Chyrsler LX and LC platform? At the 31st annual Mopar Nationals held at the National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Oh. last weekend, Illinois native Tim Barth cracked off the quickest lap ever recorded by a late model, Hemi-powered Dodge Challenger with a stout 8.43 at 171 MPH. That run also makes Barth the first of the late model Hemi cars into the eights.

For those unfamiliar with Barth, he is the managing partner of the legendary Mr. Norm’s Garage, which once epitomized the ultimate of high performance Mopar’s at its location at Grand Spaulding Dodge in the heart of Chicago – a legacy that’s carried on today by Barth with turnkey performance vehicles, vehicle packages, parts and accessories, and even custom vintage muscle cars.

Barth’s ‘Loco Challenger’ is a 2009 model Dodge Challenger, weight in at 3,615 pounds and sporting a 6.1L Hemi under the hood with twin 76mm turbochargers that produces in excess of 1,500 horsepower planted to the pavement through a pair of true 10.5-inch slicks.