A couple months ago we published a sequence of video s featuring Jim Trombly’s incredibly fast ’68 Charger R/T – a street/strip machine that successfully clicked off a 9.30 quarter mile at 144MPH a few years back. In doing so, we were alerted to Jim Pranis’ equally impressive ’68 Charger that not only beat Trombly’s low 9-second pass, but broke into the 8’s a few years back.

Both cars were featured during the Hot Rod Magazine Pump Gas Drags several years back, and clearly left an indelible impression on us and many others. Pranis’ all-black ’68 Dodge Charger could be deceiving to the untrained eye, as it has the look of a pretty warmed-over second generation Charger, but this B-Body is far more than a mere dailed-in street machine, it’s a proven force to be reckoned with.

Hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pranis has owned the Charger for over 20 years, and admits to cycling through a handful of powertrain combinations before settling on a brutish 572 cubic-inch HEMI capped with a high-rise dual-quad intake and twin Dominators. Behind it is a 727 Torqueflite spinning an 8-inch converter and a Dana 60 loaded with 4.56 gears. The Dana floats on a pair of relocated Super Stock leafs to accommodate the minitubs.

Prior to the Hemi, Pranis pushed his Charger well into the 9s (9.40-seconds at 142mph) with a 500-inch Wedge sucking down a bunch of nitrous. Now, with elephant beneath the hood, Pranis can achieve those speeds without the nitrous (all motor!). And when he flips on the nitrous solenoids the big B-body roars into the 8’s.

Below is a big of a throwback to when Pranis broke into the 8’s with a 8.99-second pass. Enjoy!