This one brings back many fond memories…
The iconic Dodge teams were Dick Landy and Ronnie Sox/Buddy Martin out of Greensboro, NC.
The irony? Sox and Martin originally started out as a Chevy team with a 63 Z-11, then went to Ford, and finally to Dodge in 68. Ronnie Sox was one of the best EVER to race the 4-speed cars…
Crank up the volume!!!
Mopar celebrates the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the Gen II 426 Race HEMI this year. More than 45 years after the 1968 Dodge Dart and Plymouth Barracuda Mopar package cars contributed to building the brand’s reputation at the drag strip, Mopar still lives up to its heritage by continuing to add to the lineage of high performance quality products.
Remaining true to its roots, the brand is continuing its commitment to Sportsman racing with the development of the next generation Mopar Drag Pak. The 2015 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak test vehicle is the next step in the evolution of the modern day package car whose earlier incarnations include more than 150 V8 Challenger Drag Paks, an additional fifty V10 versions, as well as 426 Race HEMI® upgrade kits. The Mopar Challenger Drag Pak is the only modern era package car to win the Stock Eliminator title at the U.S. Nationals and has also won Factory Shootout races.
The test vehicle is built on the 2015 Dodge Challenger platform and sports a white body, a vintage stripe package, and 426 HEMI identification. The drag pak test vehicle also includes the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT front and rear fascia trim, rear spoiler and a full roll cage fabricated to NHRA specifications.
Under the hood, Sportsman racers saw a 426 cubic-inch Race HEMI engine with an aluminum block, steel liners and custom engine calibration. The car boasts a Chrysler-based 727 automatic transmission, a race-style stick shifter with integral line lock, and an aluminum driveshaft. The vehicle also is equipped with a weigh box in the trunk and a trunk-mounted 12 volt battery.
The interior is currently based on the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT interior with the addition of Mopar gauges, driver and passenger lightweight racing seats, along with safety nets and five-point harnesses.
The Mopar drag pak test car also is equipped with 15-inch front and rear wheels, 28-inch diameter drag style front tires (4.5 inches wide) and 30-inch diameter rear tires (9-inches wide). It currently features precision performance front and rear brake rotors, calipers and master cylinder.
The test vehicle’s front suspension currently sports the 2015 Mopar K-Member and strut suspension geometry, front struts with adjustable compression and rebound. At the back of the car, racers will find a four-link rear suspension with Panhard bar, rear solid axle with 9-inch aluminum third member, rear shocks with adjustable compression and rebound, and an anti-sway bar.
All specifications on the 2015 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak test vehicle are still preliminary and being evaluated, as they are pending NHRA approval as well as feedback from the Sportsman themselves. The vehicle will be shown at the Mopar display in the manufacturer’s midway area on Friday and Saturday during the NHRA U.S. Nationals event weekend for racers and fans to view. Also on display will be an original 1968 HEMI Dodge Dart package car.
The sound of a big bore V-8 in full song IS a thing of beauty!!!
And I’m pretty sure both Chevrolet and Ford are doing the same things with the Mustang and Camaro platforms… 🙂
Let the car wars begin (Again)!!! 🙂
