The series known as “THIS Vs THAT” never disappoints. The matchups are typically unique and unlikely to happen anywhere else, and lately, there have been several races involving all-wheel-drive pickup trucks that put into perspective how quickly the performance of these bricks on wheels has progressed.
For this episode, a familiar face returns to “THIS Vs THAT” for an epic all-wheel-drive showdown. Beto and his OnDaGas Racing team made the trip from Houston, Texas, to California to take on Alex of SheepyRace. OnDaGas is well-known for having some of the quickest pickup trucks in the country. On the other side of the coin, SheepyRace builds high-horsepower exotics, including Lamborghinis, Audis, and Ferraris.
In THIS corner, Beto has his 2000 Chevy Silverado he jokingly calls a “work truck”. It is a four-wheel-drive single-cab short bed pickup that is powered by a 427 cubic-inch LS engine. Texas Speed & Performance built the powerplant using a 5.3L aluminum block that has been sleeved to accommodate a larger bore diameter. Although he doesn’t go into details on the rotating assembly, Beto does share that boost is provided by a pair of 83/96 Bullseye Power turbochargers. The transmission is a TH400 automatic that feeds power to a manual transfer case and to all four wheels.
According to Beto, the truck is lightened up some and the rear suspension has been converted to a ladder bar setup. Providing some semblance of grip are four 28-inch slicks, Mickey Thompson tires are used on the rear wheels while Hoosier tires are used up front. A Holley ECU controls all of the electronics and the small Holley EFI dash lets Beto keep an eye on the truck’s vitals. According to Beto, his truck is making 1,500 wheel horsepower.
In THAT corner, Alex brought his 2018 twin-turbo Audi R8. According to Alex, the car has the SheepyRace SR1200 package that is good for 1,200 wheel-horsepower. The car retains the factory 5.2-liter V10 long block and SheepyRace installs their billet intake manifold along with twin 62mm Precision turbochargers, an upgraded fuel system, MoTec ECU, and an air-to-water intercooler. The car features a SheepyRace Stage 5 DCT transmission. The Stage 5 package includes replacing the internals with Dodson billet gears, a bigger clutch, and adding stronger half-shaft axles and hubs. Alex’s R8 rolls on four Belak 18-inch diameter beadlocks with Mickey Thompson drag radials in the rear and M&H slicks in the front.
This type of race is interesting because the vehicles are so different while being similar in some ways. The truck makes more power, weighs more, and uses old technology in terms of its four-wheel-drive system and transmission. The Audi weighs less, uses a modern DCT transmission and all-wheel-drive system. Not to mention the truck is shaped like a brick.
Check out the video and see for yourself how wild of a race this is. While the SheepyRace Audi is very quick, Beto’s Silverado is a whole other animal built specifically for drag racing on less-than-ideal surfaces. The Audi puts up a good fight, but the Silverado is too much and wins the best-of-three race handily.
