Mopar and Dodge//SRT always save their biggest news for the first week of November and the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas. 2019 is no different with the raucous introduction of the 2020 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak, the fourth generation of the modern-day drag racing package car from FCA’s performance arm.
The new generation Challenger Drag Pak uses the lessons learned from the previous, third gen racecar. Engineered for grassroots drag racers competing in sportsman classes sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and National Muscle Car Association (NMCA), the 2020 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak gives racers the option to purchase a complete, turnkey, track-ready package or a variety of modular kits for installation on their own Dodge Challenger drag car.
“Mopar and Dodge//SRT collaborated to make this factory production-based Challenger Drag Pak not only a force to be reckoned with at the strip, but also an instant collectible for Mopar enthusiasts,” noted Mark Bosanac, head of Mopar service, parts and customer care, FCA- North America. “Our legacy has been won at the track by the women and men who pour all they have into being the best. This new Challenger Drag Pak gives them the tools to stay in front of the competition.”
This will be a production-limited run of only 50 serialized units, with ordering and pricing details to be announced at a later date. Construction begins with a standard-width Dodge Challenger Body-in-White unibody, built at the FCA Brampton assembly plant in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. An SFI-specification welded roll cage, rated for quarter-mile runs as quick as 7.50 seconds, is integrated into the body.
The red, white and blue color scheme for the fourth-generation Challenger Drag Pak displays modernity spiced with nostalgia, as has been the case for the modern Dodge Challenger, offering design cues that remind many of the original, successful 1970s muscle cars.
The aesthetics of this new 2020 Drag Pak racecar has multiple design cues that tie together. It’s anchored by the blue Mopar logo and red “dragpak” badging on the rear quarter panels. The red band wraps around the rear of the car, thereby connecting the two badges. The 2020 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak hood mimics design of the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, with intake and heat extractors. Both the front and rear fascias use the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat design.
Mopar and Dodge//SRT used a wide blue stripe with red tracers on each side, having the stripe run from the edge of the front fascia, over the roof and through to the rear edge of the decklid. This graphic highlights the width of the car and complements the variety of stripe packages Mopar offers for the Dodge Challenger. A blue band runs along the lower quarter of each side of the Challenger Drag Pak, accented by a red tracer line.
“We want this to look so cool that when the customers buy Challenger Drag Paks, they want to run these graphics because they are so iconic and stand out,” said Mark Trostle, head of performance, passenger car and utility vehicle design for FCA – North America. “Mopar people are proud of the heritage and the look – and they want to show that off.”
Mopar and Dodge//SRT have reworked the suspension of the fourth generation 2020 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak by using adjustable coil-over shocks, four-link suspension with wishbone and an anti-roll bar on the Strange rear axle assembly. Wheelie bars and a parachute mount are integrated into the chassis and are standard equipment.
At the front of the car, a unique engine cross member lowers the center of gravity and improves weight distribution. The front suspension also includes specific Bilstein double-adjustable struts.
Power is supplied by the supercharged, 354-ci HEMI V-8 engine, fitted with a T400 three-speed transmission that features a Kwik-Shift manual shifter, lightweight driveshaft, together with front and rear racing brakes, Racetech seats, Racepak Smartwire fully programable power distribution center and a new, exclusive Drag Pak lightweight wheel and tire package.
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