You know, we don’t often hear about the rivalry between Shelby and Roush, but we’ve got to assume there is one. After all, both companies produce high horsepower premium Mustangs, so they are no doubt competing for the same customers. Yet there seems to be an almost unnatural level of civility between Roush and Shelby…at least on a corporate level.

But on the drag strip, it is about running what you got, and taking no prisoners. Sure, you can still be civil, but few people are happy coming in second. This video of a 2013 Shelby GT500 taking on a 2012 Roush RS3 Mustang at a 1/8th mile drag strip shows that all the manners in the world don’t matter when it comes to racing. The only question then is, who comes out on top, Roush, or Shelby?

2013 brought big power upgrades for the Shelby GT500, boosting it from 550 horsepower to 662, far outperforming the 545 of the 2012 Roush RS3. The Shelby also got Launch Control to help put all that extra power down at the drag strip. On paper, the Roush RS3 Mustang just doesn’t stand a chance. Then again, there is always the enviable “driver mod.”

With the Roush in the left lane and the Shelby in the right, the tree goes red-yellow-green and both Mustangs rocket down the strip. Even with Launch Control, the Roush RS3 Mustang takes an early lead and never looks back at the Shelby, which quickly slips behind. Yup, today the underdog wins, proving that brute force doesn’t always take the victory at the drag strip. Sometimes, knowing how to drive really pays off!