Drag racing will always be a central part of testing a car's ability, but is it more important than the ability to go round a track quickly? Apparently Dodge thinks so, because even though it decided to leave the Charger Hellcat with an endowment of 707 horsepower, it can hardly outrun a Camaro around Virginia International Raceway during Car and Driver's annual Lightning Lap. That might not sound too bad, especially when considering that the Camaro is technically a competitor, right?

It's a competitor alright, but unlike the 6.2-liter supercharged V8, the Camaro only has a 3.6-liter V6 to fight back with.

In total, the Chevy's unit makes only 335 horsepower, amounting to a sizable 372 horsepower deficit to the Charger Hellcat. Still, after a lap around VIR, the Camaro crosses the finish line only half a second later than the Hellcat. Either the Dodge is lagging or the Camaro can fight way above its class. As it turns out, it seems that the latter is the correct answer but not because of the engine. Instead, it's all down to the grip. Equipped only with the $4,500 track package, the Camaro beats its closest rival, the EcoBoost Mustang, by 11.6 seconds. What's more is that it clears sector four of the track quicker than a Jaguar F-Type SVR and an Audi R8 V10. What was that about muscle cars not being built for the track?