Believe it or not, the fastest pickup truck in the world is a 1957 Chevy truck.
Auto-obsessed folks behind the YouTube channel Barcroft Cars recently caught up with Hayden Proffitt, the owner and proud driver of the record-breaking jet dragster known as Hot Streak II. This insane jet-powered racer is (loosely) based on a 1957 Chevy truck and produces roughly 25,000 horsepower between its two Westinghouse J34 jet engines – a setup capable of propelling Profitt to an astounding 350 mph in the quarter-mile.
While Profitt is the current steward of this legendary jet-powered Chevy truck, he didn’t build it. This wild creation was put together by noted jet dragster enthusiast and builder Les Shockley, who later sold the truck to Proffitt’s grandfather. Proffitt inherited the truck from his father, who himself had inherited it from Hayden’s grandfather.
The Hot Streak II name can be traced back to the first jet dragster that Shockley built, which was dubbed Shockwave. Shockley sold this open-wheel jet dragster to Proffitt’s grandfather, who renamed it Hot Streak. When Proffitt had the opportunity to acquire the truck, he figured he’d rename it after his grandfather’s open-wheel jet dragster, settling on the Hot Streak II name.
Profitt may not have built Hot Streak II, but he’s more than qualified to wrench on and drive this jet-powered pickup. As a former Air Force serviceman, Profitt spent years working on iconic military jets like the F15 and B52. This gig meant that he was well-prepared to take over his dad’s jet dragster hobby when he stepped away from the service. Shockley, who unfortunately passed away recently, also trained Profitt on how to drive the truck. These days, Proffitt says he thinks about Shockley every time he gets behind the wheel of Hot Streak II.
Check out the video embedded below to hear more about Hot Streak II and Proffitt’s fascinating family history of driving jet dragsters.
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