This weekend, Dodge officially unveiled two Challenger Drag Race Package cars that made their inaugural runs down the 1/4 mile track in front of thousands of race fans at the Mopar Mile-High Nationals near Denver, CO. Based on the standard Challenger SRT8, each of the Drag Race Package cars features a completely stripped body that has the body sealer, sound deadener, and undercoat all removed. Additional components are also left out including the windshield wipers, HVAC system, air bags, rear seats, power steering, exhaust system, side-impact beams, rear bumper beam, and more. Further weight is saved by using composite and poycarbonate components, and overall a total of 1000 pounds has been shaved off the car.
Additional changes include repositioning the engine for a better driveline angle, a slightly shortened wheelbase, a bolt-in crossmember, and solid engine mounts. Engine options include the 6.1L and 5.7L HEMI or the 5.9L Magnum Wedge. Mopar will build at least 100 of the cars to meet NHRA requirement, and they will be eligible to run in Comp, Super Stock, and Stock categories. Pricing will start in the low $30,000 range, and Mopar will begin taking orders in late August or September.
With a name like Challenger, Dodge's new muscle car had better put down some serious quarter-mile times or else be able to propel itself into outer space. Fortunately, Chrysler's performance parts division Mopar is preparing to do one (if not the other) when it unveils its new Drag Race Package for the Challenger at the annual Mopar Mile-High Nationals at the Bandimere Speedway in Denver next week.
While specific details on the package – which we previewed in our exclusive video last week – remain scarce before the official debut, the Challenger Drag Race Package marks the 70th anniversary of Mopar and forty years since the company's last factory-built drag-race package. Based on the Challenger SRT8, the Drag Race Package features a composite "Body-in-White" direct from the factory and a host of lightweight components, to say nothing of all the parts being deleted for drag-strip use. The engine has been repositioned and the wheelbase actually shortened to optimize weight distribution and driveline angle. Designed in cooperation with the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and previewed back in 2006 by the 392 HEMI Dodge Challenger Super Stock concept at SEMA (pictured above), Mopar will build 100 examples of the race-prepped Challenger with three different engine packages available.
I went into the Ford Racing Racing Invitational drag race this weekend with only a cursory knowledge of drag racing. Sure I was aware of all the usual suspects like Garlits, Prudhomme, Force and other famous names over the years. I knew about the kind of speeds they reached and I had a vague awareness of bracket racing and the need for consistency. But I figured "How hard can it be to go from a starting line and traverse 1320 feet in the shortest possible time?" Well, it turns out that it's a lot harder than you might think. If nothing else, I came away from this experience with with a vastly increased respect for successful drag racers.
Let's start with a brief run down of the procedure. First up, before getting to the starting line you do a couple of burnouts to warm the tires in hope of getting some extra grip. On racing slicks this undoubtedly helps. Whether it actually helps with street tires is something about which we need to consult with some tire engineers. Once your tires are warm, you pull up to the line. This is where things start to get very complicated. Read on to learn more and check out the gallery below for shots from the day showing Autoblog and its peers doing their best on the quarter-mile.
We've driven the Honda Civic Si, and have found it to be an entertaining vehicle to attack some twisties. A drag racer, though, it is most assuredly not. Sure, offering just shy of two-hundred horsepower from such a small engine is impressive, but the distinct lack of torque and the stratospheric rev-ceiling required to extract those ponies will surely limit the straight-line drag numbers. The new Dodge Challenger SRT8, on the other hand, does not require high-rev shenanigans in order to scorch the 1320, and this point is proven in the video posted after the break. Although only covering an eighth mile, the Challenger has no problem keeping the Si at bay. We're not knocking the Si, as this type of activity is clearly not its proper playground, but listen closely when playing the video and you'll hear that the Challenger's pilot was toying with the Civic driver. It's not until the last few hundred feet that the Hemi driver dips into the throttle, leading to a few chuckles from the crowd.
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In the wee hours of Saturday morning, a crowd estimated at 50 strong gathered along the edge of Route 210 in Accokeek, Maryland to watch an organized though illegal drag race. As racers left the scene going north leaving behind a cloud of smoke, a white Ford Crown Victoria came from the south and drove through the crowd, killing eight and injuring numerous others. Authorities guess that the smoke and darkness concealed the group of people until it was too late for the driver of the Crown Vic, who has so far been charged with nothing (rightfully so), to react. The sedan's driver also escaped serious injury, but the incident proved fatal to the vehicle's passenger, as well as a few spectators, including a 61-year-old father.
Sadly, this horrific crash occurred some 25 miles from Maryland International Raceway, a quarter-mile drag strip. Had the competitors, who are still being sought, rented the track for their battle, all of those involved would have been spared their lives. It is a reminder that the safety measures in place at racing venues are there for everyone's benefit and protection. Public streets simply involve too many variables to control potential accidents.
