Worry Not Dodge Racing Fans, There's still a Challenger SRT Race Car

Sad about the Dodge Viper Racing program being shutdown? Don’t be. There’s still plenty to be excited about. For instance, the new Dodge Challenger SRT Trans Am Race Car driven by a team of legendary drivers.

August 16, 2014 was a big day for Miller Racing and the Dodge Challenger SRT in the Trans Am race in Lexington, Ohio. The new Dodge Challengers debuted mid-season against a stiff 59-car entry event, with veterans Tommy Kendall and Cameron Lawrence at the helm. Miller Racing placed Kendall, a four-time Trans Am Champion behind the wheel of the #11 car, and TA2 Champion Cameron Lawrence in the #1 car.

Switching platforms in the middle of the season is no piece of cake, as Lawrence states, “We definitely want to continue the success we’ve had, and we’re really excited to bring Dodge on board. We want to stay on top and keep the season rolling with the momentum we’ve had. We’re dedicated to producing wins for Dodge and SRT Motorsports this season; and although it’s going to be tough changing platforms halfway through the season, we’re going to do our best to get the Dodge Challenger SRT into victory lane.”

Kendall and Lawrence have a lot under the hoods of their Challengers starting with a 6.3 liter V8 engine with 499hp and a four-speed manual transmission. In the age of factory 700+horsepower engines, that might not sound to impressive. However, with fiberglass bodies and bare bones interior, these Challengers can produce eyebrow raising speeds. The body style of the cars remains the same and stays well recognized as an American classic.

The debut on August 16th ended with Lawrence starting 42nd and ending in the 21st spot, while Kendall started 27th and encountering issues that led to a disappointing 45th place finish. Not the best of starts for the Challenger, but the next event at Virginia International Raceway looked more promising. Kendall started 19th and finished up in the top 10 at the 6th spot, while Lawrence also held onto a solid top 10 finish starting and finishing in the 9th position.

You can watch the new Challengers in action at their next event on November 15th at the famed Daytona International Speedway.