It’s well known that the Dodge Viper’s entire reason for existing was because Bob Lutz wanted to have a contemporary version of the famed Shelby/AC Cobra, and when Dodge unveiled the roadster concept in 1989, the public went substantially nuts…in a world where the Ford Taurus was considered groundbreaking and the forefront of automotive design, the Viper was a shotgun blast that brought instant and clear focus to what a driver really wanted out of a car: looks, power, suspension, brakes, and durability. Like the Cobra, the Viper was stunningly powerful compared to what was available, and like the Cobra, if you weren’t ready for what was about to happen, chances are very good that you would need to make a stop at the local store to pick up some new undergarments once you left the track. And, strangely, there is a community that took one look at the Viper and decided that the sports car needed to hit the dragstrip, just like the Cobra. One of those individuals is Sal Petal, and his 1999 Dodge Viper is one of the meanest straight-line V-10 Mopars out there. This is a car that has managed to pump thousands of horsepower through the stock IRS to the tune of 6.98@207 MPH, which held onto the fastest IRS record up until Jeff Lutz wheeled Shawn Beard’s machine to the tune of 6.78@211 MPH. The Viper suffered a nasty crash in 2013, but has been put back together and has been out and about. It’s not like you can miss an all-black Viper with a parachute hanging off of the back, right?