During this year’s Sick Week event, Allison Kovalik became the first person to run in the 9s with Dodge Hurricane I6 twin-turbo power. She recorded a 9.988 at 132.83 in her Hurricane I6-powered Dodge Dakota at South Georgia Motorsports Park.

This was not only the first 9-second run for a Hurricane-powered vehicle, but it was her first 9-second pass ever as well.

It’s never easy to replace a legend. Dodge’s Hurricane twin-turbo inline-six has all the credentials on paper, but it is supplanting the Gen-III HEMI in the Dodge/Jeep lineup, which immediately had people hating it.

This is the view from behind the starting line on Kovalik’s historic 9-second pass.

The Gen-III HEMI toiled in relative obscurity for years until Dodge unleashed the 2015 Challenger Hellcat with 707 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque. That got everyone’s attention. Performance freaks soon either wanted a HEMI or to notch a win against one. Eventually, the HEMI put out 1,025 horsepower in the Challenger Demon 170 trim (on E85), all in emissions-legal trim in a production car. The I6 Hurricane is proudly taking a stand against the HEMI with its twin turbos.

Direct Connection Crate Engines

Those looking for Hurricane power can find it in Jeep Wagoneers or Grand Wagoneers, or you can buy new from Dodge Direct Connection. In August of last year, Direct Connection announced the release of its HurriCrate series of crate engines. The first, dubbed HurriCrate Cat 1, produces 420 horsepower and 468 lb-ft of torque. This is essentially the same engine that comes in the Jeep Wagoneer and Wagoneer L. The MSRP is $10,495.

The HurriCrate Cat 3 delivers 550 horsepower and 531 lb-ft of torque, with an MSRP of $13,745. That is 40 more ponies than the engine makes in the Jeep Grand Wagoneer, where it is also rated at 500 lb-ft of torque.

Versions of the Hurricane powerplant are set to debut in the 2025 Dodge Charger later this year, including a 550-horse iteration dubbed the SIXPACK H.O. It’s not likely this will make anyone immediately forget about the HEMI-powered Chargers and Challengers of yore, but it could help ease the pain caused by the EV Chargers that recently showed up in showrooms.

Expect plenty of after-sale support for Hurricane-powered Chargers from Direct Connection, perhaps coinciding with their arrival in showrooms. Variations of the Charger with power levels exceeding the Hellcat, Redeye, etc., are also in the works, according to our sources at Dodge.