NASCAR, Drift and GT Racers Compete in Viper Celebrity Challenge; Airs Sunday on Versus

This coming Sunday, October 9th, a very special event will air on Versus at 3 pm Eastern Time. It’s the Duel in the Desert, a special edition of the Viper Cup race series, where a talented collection of drivers and motorsports heros, from all different forms of the genre, race against each other at Miller Motorsports Park, in Toole, Utah.

The race, actually run back in April, features such legends as Roger Penske, Jeff Gordon, Robbie Gordon, Sam Hubinette, Kurt Busch, Kuno Wittmer, Allen Johnson and Ralph Gilles to name a few.

Each of the 24 drivers competed in identically prepped Dodge Viper ACR-X coupes, and were split into two person teams, with single qualifying lap times from each averaged together in order to determine starting positions on the grid for the race.

Timed for just 50 minutes, the actual event required each team to make a pit stop and change drivers halfway through, making for some very exciting racing.

Besides competing, the celebrity drivers were also racing for a cause, with money donated by the top three finishing teams, to several charities, including the Haiti Rescue Effort, National Breast Cancer Coalition, Shriners Hospital, Tarrant Area Food Bank (Ft. Worth, Texas), Children’s Rare Disease Network and the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

“I can’t say enough about the generosity and mutual respect shown by each and every participant in the ‘Dodge Viper Celebrity Challenge,’ Ralph Gilles, president and CEO of Chrysler’s SRT Group and Dodge Motorsports. “I’m proud to share the same common thread of being racers at heart that can take the time out to not only come together and compete on the same stage, but also raise money for worthy charity causes.”