Jon Sipple's Quest for 7s
- Jesse Kloth
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
In the adrenaline-charged world of drag racing, fractions of a second define everything. For Hellcat-based platforms running the factory IHI supercharger, breaking into the 7-second range isn’t just fast, it’s a benchmark that very few have achieved.
Jon Sipple set out to do exactly that.
What This Means for Hellcat Owners
This wasn’t just about chasing a number.
It was about proving what’s possible when airflow, efficiency, and reliability are addressed the right way. The same fundamentals used in this build apply directly to both street and strip setups.
The Beginning of the Build
Jon introduced the build at the Legion of Demon event in Texas last January. With Tim Barth behind the tuning, the car immediately showed potential.
Starting with a 200 shot, the car ran an impressive 8.27 at 169 MPH. Plans to step up to a 350 shot were cut short due to rain, but the direction was clear.
The team stayed after it, logging over 200 passes throughout the season.
Chasing the 7-Second Pass
By October 11th at Steele, the combination came close with an 8.04 at 172 MPH. A broken driveshaft ended the day early, but the momentum was there.
That momentum carried into Maryland.
After consistently knocking on the door, the team finally broke through with a 7.95-second pass at 173.05 MPH, setting the IHI Hellcat record.
The Setup Behind the Results
This wasn’t a “throw parts at it” build.
It was built around removing restriction and improving efficiency, starting at the supercharger inlet.
The setup featured the X-treme Hellephant Killer Trifecta, including:
Transmission Testing Under Real Conditions
This car also served as a test mule for SSP transmissions.
At Maryland, it ran a Max Effort HP90 transmission with an integrated trans brake, going straight from the bench to the track with no break-in.
The goals were simple:
Evaluate performance in standard operation
Test durability under full load
It passed both tests.
There’s Still More Left
Even with a 7.95 on the board, the car isn’t maxed out.
The plan is to remove another 245 lbs, targeting a race weight of 4200 lbs with driver. Power was intentionally pulled during launch, meaning there’s still room to improve 60-foot performance and push deeper into the 7s.
Why This Matters More Than Just Porting
A lot of builds try to reach these numbers by pushing ported factory components to their limits.
The problem is those approaches:
introduce risk
retain factory limitations
and often sacrifice reliability
👉 Read the full breakdown here:
Build Sheet
**Body & Exterior**:
- All factory body panels removed
- Rear spoiler removed
**Tuning**:
- Tuned by Tim Barth
**Builder**:
- Built by Sipple's Speed and Performance with collaboration from Jessica Sipple, Ron Polidora, Rob Daghaday, Jordan Daghaday, and Patrick Zabst
**Transmission**:
- Trans built at SSP by Jordan Daughaday, Head bench builder at SSP
- Transmission Model: SSP Max Effort HP90
- Pro torque billet stator converter with proprietary stall speed
**Engine**:
- Engine Builder: Gibbons Motorsports, Mooresville NC
- Engine Type: 419 stroker, original factory block
- Bore: 4.100
- Winberg Billet Crank: 3.975
- Boostline I Beam Rods
- Cam Motion Billet Cam
- Johnson Short Travel Lifters
- Manton Pushrods
- CP Fully Coated Pistons
- Factory Hellcat Heads: Decked .030 and ported with PSI 1516 spring
- Nitrous: Nitrous outlet spray bars in blower and throttle body plate system (1st kit 300 on bars, 2nd kit 100 on the plate)
- Dedicated nitrous fuel system
**Supercharger**:
-108 Nick Williams throttle body
**Suspension**:
- Factory shocks with Diablo suspension controller
- Full AAD rear suspension with cradle lockouts
- Removed front and rear sway bars
**Interior**:
- Kirkey drivers seat with 5-point harness and window net
- Removed: Passenger seat, rear seat, seat belts, and carpet
**Brakes**:
- TBM Front Brakes
- 15-inch conversion Wilwood rear brakes
**Additional Features**:
- 8.50 cert cage by Steffco Racing and Fabrication
- Gearhead fab parachute mount
- IC Chiller with Gearhead Fab aux tank
- Ignite 90 fuel
- QA1 carbon fiber driveshaft
- 3.09 billet diff with performance development DIRS brace
- Level 5 DSS 1 piece axles
- 2 inch stainless works headers
- Fore triple return style fuel system with 2150 fic injectors
- Estimated weight with driver: 4445 lbs
- Estimated power at the crank: 1773hp based on weight and time run
Proven Performance, Not Theory
Breaking into the 7-second range isn’t about one part—it’s about eliminating restrictions across the entire system.
The Hellephant Killer platform was built with that exact goal in mind:
improve airflow
increase efficiency
support power reliably
This build proves what’s possible when those fundamentals are applied correctly.
Final Thoughts
This car stands as a testament to what’s possible with the right combination of engineering, execution, and persistence.
We’re proud to be part of this build, and even more excited to see how far it goes from here.