It is a feud written in exhaust fumes and burnt rubber. Pony cars and Vette. Rivals since forever. But lately? Things have gone hot. Warmer. Open hostility really. The release of the wild Mustang GTD met Chevrolet’s twin hits with the ZR1 and the Z06. It was the spark.
Nürburgring wasn’t enough for them. They moved to domestic tracks. Owners desperate to prove their ride is the king.
Cleetus McFarland put his tuned ZR1 up against Vaughn Gittin Jr’s GTD.
Here is the thing about that matchup. Experience isn’t even a debate. Gittin Jr? Drifting legend. Racers know him. Cleetus is YouTuber material first, racer second. But look at the sheet specs. Power doesn’t care about pedigree. Not this much power.
Cleetus’ car is not stock. Never was. He had the first ECU unlocked by HP Tun this year. Downpipes changed. Race fuel pumped in. A custom tune dialed. The result is obscene. 1,180 horsepower. One thousand, nine lb-ft of torque at the wheels. At the rear wheels. Can you wrap your head around that?
Gittin’s Mustang? Impressive. Yes. Supercharged V8. 815 hp. Good torque. But those are crank figures. Before the losses. Before the friction. It’s like comparing a loaded pistol to a cannon. And even then. The ZR1 wins on paper. Heavy. But so fast.
They met at Ten Tenths. North Carolina. Tight corners. Short straights.
Does it matter where they raced? Probably not. This isn’t a drag strip. The track layout bites back at the Corvette. Keeps its long-wheelbase beast hemmed in. Short straights mean less time to breathe. Less time to let the twin turbos do the work they do best.
One saving grace for parity? The tires. Both cars roll on Michelin Cup 2 R rubber. Same grip. Same compound. That levels the playing field, or what’s left of it.
The clip exists. The footage is out there. Who crossed first?
Well.
