Member Spotlight: Scott's 2019 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye

A dealership in Texas turned up a 2019 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye in exactly the color and spec Scott Starbuck was looking for, and he bought it sight unseen. "Bought site unseen no pictures no information outside of color you're making model," he says of the deal, "waited two weeks to be delivered." What showed up was a Destroyer Grey Redeye that has since become "Destroyer," a car that's just as likely to be sitting on a show field in Lyons, Kansas as it is pulling into the Dairy Queen drive-through. It's also one of the first cars in The Garage at AutoShowList to earn Feature Ready status, the badge reserved for the platform's most complete member profiles.

The full build profile for Destroyer has the specs, the trophy case, and the gallery. Here's the story behind them.

797 Horsepower, Straight From the Factory

The Redeye trim was Dodge's answer to owners who thought the standard Hellcat wasn't enough. Where a 2019 Challenger SRT Hellcat made 717 horsepower and 656 lb-ft of torque, the Redeye's supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V8 carries 25 upgraded components over the standard Hellcat, including a larger supercharger and a strengthened valve train, to reach a factory rating of 797 horsepower and 707 lb-ft of torque. That's the baseline Scott started from before he touched a single bolt.

Breathing Easier: Intake, Tune, and Exhaust

The build stayed focused on the fundamentals that actually move the needle on a supercharged HEMI: airflow in, airflow out, and a tune that ties it together. On the intake side, Scott added a performance intake and moved to a DiabloSport tuner running a Diablo-modified ECM, a setup DiabloSport's own Hellcat-specific packages advertise as good for roughly 30 additional horsepower and torque at the wheels on 93 octane once paired with their modified PCM. Out back, a full 3-inch exhaust with the muffler and resonator deleted opens up the note and cuts backpressure. It's a combination a lot of Redeye owners land on first, because it's a meaningful gain without touching the bottom end.

Wheels, Tires, and a Stealthy Stance

Destroyer still rides on its factory wheels, but the rubber underneath tells the real story: Nitto NT555 G2 ultra-high-performance summer tires out back, matched with Continentals up front, a setup built to put nearly 800 horsepower down without turning every green light into a burnout contest. Add a local tint job and the car keeps a sleeper look that matches its name, understated until the supercharger whine gives it away.

A Trophy Case Built on Kansas Show Fields

Destroyer isn't a trailer queen. Scott and his family run it to roughly three shows or cruise nights a month through spring, summer, and fall, and the results have followed: a Top 30 finish at the Lyons Fair on the Square, Best of Class at the Hutchinson Rod Run and Car Show, Fans' Choice at a Stockton cruise night, and Best in Class at the Gypsum Pie Festival Car Show. Four wins across four different Kansas events is a solid run for a car that also does grocery runs, and it's the kind of consistent local show presence that separates weekend cruise-in regulars from cars that only come out once a year.

Driven, Not Babied

What stands out most about Destroyer isn't the horsepower number, it's the mileage. The car sits at roughly 55,000 miles and gets driven the way Scott describes it: "It's just a fun car to have. I will keep everyone on this updated to what we've done, what we're going to continue to do." His wife drives it. His kids drive it. It goes for ice cream and groceries just as often as it goes to a show. That daily-driver mentality hasn't slowed down the build list, and it's already spreading: Scott recently picked up a 2024 Dodge Durango SRT for his wife, which he plans to start building and bring to The Garage next.

What's Next for Destroyer

Scott's future plans read like a roadmap for a car headed toward serious power. A Whipple supercharger upgrade, cam, and heads with a chiller are next under the hood, paired with an 18-inch wheel set on beadlocks and a 10% underdrive pulley. He's weighing a widebody kit to fit 305-width rear rubber, along with a full nitrous system, upgraded driveshaft, and rear axle to handle the extra power. Inside, he's planning to keep things simple: a possible rear seat delete and, eventually, a full roll cage, but nothing that would push Destroyer out of daily-driver territory before he's ready.

See the Full Build

Specs, the trophy case, and the full photo gallery are on the 2019 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye profile page. Building something worth showing off? Browse The Garage for more member rides, or check what's showing near you this weekend to see where builds like Destroyer turn up next.

Spotlights go to Feature Ready cars in The Garage. Add your car, complete its profile, and earn your shot: start your car's profile.