1,500-HP Chevy Truck Almost Hits Audi Then Bursts Into Flames in Wild Drag Race

This is the most ridiculous drag race we've seen in a long time.

By: Christopher Smith

Mar 17, 2024 at 9:00am ET

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The latest This vs That drag racing video from Hoonigan has drama, action, close calls, and fire. It's a love scene away from being a new Netflix series, except this epic face-off ends on a happy note with everyone alive and well.

In one corner we have Beto Ondgas driving a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado, or rather, a race car that looks like a Silverado. The bed is steel, but the rest of the body is fiberglass. It rides on ladder bars, and inside you'll find a seat, shifter, roll bar, a steering wheel, and not much else. Under the hood you'll find a twin-turbocharged 5.3-liter V-8, making around 1,500 horsepower and driving all four wheels.

The other player is Alex Soto, driving a 2018 Audi R8. It doesn't look quite as radical as the truck, but the 5.2-liter V10 is massaged to make 1,200 hp. That power also goes to all four wheels through the R8's AWD system, managed by a modified seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Compared to the Chevy, it has a bit less power. But it's also 200 pounds lighter. On paper, this should be a good race.

It certainly is, though not for the reasons you'd expect. The first heads-up race has the truck sliding all over the place, though Ondgas makes it look easy. He never lifts despite shuffling the wheel constantly to keep it straight, and his bravery pays off with a convincing win.

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Here's where things get really sketchy. The second race sees the Audi with a two-car starting line advantage, with Soto getting the hit. He takes off, Ondgas follows suit, and then the drag race becomes a drift exhibition. The Silverado gets squirrely and then sideways as it crosses the runway centerline. At this point, Ondgas is in the Audi's lane and closing fast, but he still doesn't lift. He corrects, corrects some more, drives past the R8, and wins again. That's true skill on display.

After coming to a rest, the Silverado starts leaking transmission fluid, hitting hot exhaust pipes and bursting into flames. Ondgas quickly jumps out and extinguishes the fire before any notable damage occurs, ending the day with a decisive drag race victory and a functional truck. A win-win in our book.