How good is the new Hemi, REALLY?

So I ordered a S/S Challenger (please, we can argue that later) and in planning on actually running the car, I got to talking to a friend of mine that works at a dealership. He's ASE certified, has worked on the new Hemi since it came out and has a good amount of racing experience. In talking to him about the motor & keeping in mind Hot Rod Magazine's article from last year or so, it was his opinion the motor isn't really all that good, stock. While the design itself is obviously potentially good, his feelings are that the rods & pistons are weak and that the block itself is so thin (even the 6.1) that the only way to seriously race this motor is to replace the pistons, rods & fill the block to insure durability. Now no one I know of around here seriously races one of these engines, & HRM conceded in their article the rods are the weak point of the engine but does/has anyone out there SERIOUSLY raced or tested this engine to see just how good a race motor it is? My backyard engineering experience tells me this motor has great potential but with a weak foundation (the block) do guys like me that plan/hope to race the new Hemi have to walk on eggshells while we're doing it? ...... Thoughts/ Opinions?