Travis Pastrana's STI Takes on "World's Fastest Trackhawk" and Technically Loses

It raced all sorts of cars already, from crazy Wankel builds to drag racing classics such as the Nissan GT-R—albeit under an Altima skin—and it always came out on top. Surely, it's not going to lose its first race to an SUV, will it?

Well, considering the way the STI is built, it really shouldn't. That car has custom everything, from the carbon fiber body to the non-existent interior, and its engine bay is a wonderful feat of design and engineering. The coolest part, however, is its rear wing. Not only is it massive, but it literally works like the flaps on an airplane while the car is airborne, helping Travis Pastrana bring the rear down with pinpoint precision.

But then you look at its competitor, and you suddenly stop feeling so confident. We all know what the Hellcat-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk can do in a drag race, so it's never a good idea to underestimate it. This one, though, on top of the stock 700+ hp, has also been thoroughly modified by the guys at Peitz Performance.

It has a built motor with custom piston rods, ported cylinder heads, custom camshaft, fully built eight-speed automatic transmission, and a 200 shot nitrous resting where the spare wheel would normally sit. Other than that and a few extra gauges, the interior looks completely stock. The Trackhawk is perfectly usable as a daily driver, grocery-getter, family car.

It's also a nine-second vehicle, with Brent and Alex, the two guys from Peitz Performance who brought the car to the track for the race, saying their best-ever quarter-mile time was 9.44 seconds with a trap speed of 147 mph (236 kph). That was probably on a prepped surface, so expect to see lower figures here. Not that anyone is timing the runs.

Quite understandably, Travis Pastrana really doesn't want to lose to an automatic SUV. The honor of the entire racing car community depends on his performance, and he's not about to let anyone down. We've probably never seen him this competitive in any of these races, meaning that even though everyone is all laughs, this thing is serious.

Not serious enough for the Trackhawk driver to use the nitrous. It turns out it didn't need to, as the Jeep gets a good start, goes in front, and never looks back. The STI puts on a good fight, but it's too late to come past the SUV before the 1,000' run out. It's the best out of three, so the next race could be decisive.

Travis asks for a little more time before signaling the start to give the STI time to build up boost. He also nails the start, so the second race is a clear victory for the Subaru. With everything hanging on the result of the third, it's safe to say the nerves were pretty high.

So high, in fact, that Brent, the Jeep driver, blatantly jumps the start. Travis does the natural thing and gives chase, essentially validating a race he couldn't possibly win, especially now that the Trackhawk also began to use its nitrous. Because the two cars are so closely matched, they also stage a fourth bonus race to decide the de facto winner, even though technically, the Jeep already took the crown—that one you'll have to watch for yourself. Come on, it's not like we're asking you to watch the grass grow.