Mopar And Dodge Roll Out New 2020 Challenger Drag Pak At SEMA

Representatives from the Dodge and Mopar brands today unveiled the new, fourth-generation 2020 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak — the first factory-built, drag race-specific iteration from the iconic duo since 2016. The new Drag Pak, which comes as a race-ready, turnkey package, is powered by a supercharged, 354 cubic-inch HEMI with a three-speed Turbo 400 transmission. A Strange Engineering axle assembly, Racetech seats, Racepak Smartwire system, ands Bilstein double-adjustable struts are part of the overall turnkey product.

The 4th-generation Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak roared to life before a packed house at the 2019 SEMA Show on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. Mopar unveiled the new, track-only package car for Sportsmen drag racers. Only 50 cars will be produced.

Geoff Turk provided Dodge and Mopar with the honors of claiming there first-ever 7-second run by a factory-produced race car a season ago; Turk earned the NMCA Factory Super Cars title in his third-get Drag Pak, while Leah Pritchett claimed the 2018 SAMTech.edu NHRA Factory Stock Showdown championship. This all-new iteration is expected to build upon that success as they arrive in the hands of sportsman drag racers.

Official Release:

Mopar and Dodge//SRT took the wraps off a new, fourth-generation version of the factory-built, racetrack-only Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak car today at the 2019 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show.

The 2020 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak is engineered for grassroots drag racers that compete in sportsman classes in events sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and National Muscle Car Association (NMCA).

Building on lessons learned with the third-generation Drag Pak, the new fourth-generation Challenger Drag Pak offers racers the choice of buying a complete, turnkey package ready for the track or a variety of modular kits to install on their own Dodge Challenger drag car.

“Mopar and Dodge//SRT collaborated to make this factory production-based Challenger Drag Pak not only a forced to be reckoned with at the strip but also an instant collectable for Mopar enthusiasts,” said Mark Bosanac, Head of Mopar Service, Parts & 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.”

Production of the new Challenger Drag Pak will be limited to 50 serialized units. Ordering and pricing details will be announced in the future.

  • Introduction of the 2020 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak marks the fourth generation of the modern-day drag race package car
  • The 2020 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak delivers sportsman racers a new, turnkey package loaded with suspension and chassis upgrades and is certified for NHRA and NMCA competition
  • Body-integrated SFI-specification welded rollcage is certified for ETs as low as 7.50 seconds
  • The 2020 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak is powered by the supercharged 354-cubic-inch HEMI® V-8 engine
  • Limited production of 50 serialized units
  • Fourth-generation Challenger Drag Pak builds on lessons learned from current Drag Pak which claimed NHRA and NMCA world championships in 2018
  • Ordering and pricing details to be announced in the future

Heritage-inspired Graphics Signal Performance

Just as the modern Dodge Challenger turns heads with design cues that harken back to the original muscle car era of the 1970s, the red, white and blue color scheme on the fourth-generation Challenger Drag Pak displays a modern flavor, seasoned with nostalgia.

The graphics package is anchored by the blue Mopar logo and red “dragpak” badging on the quarter panels above the rear wheels. The red band wraps around the rear of the car, connecting the badges.

A wide blue stripe, with red tracers on each side, runs from the edge of the front fascia, over the roof and through to the rear edge of the decklid. The graphic highlights the width of the Challenger Drag Pak 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.

The 4th-generation Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak roared to life before a packed house at the 2019 SEMA Show on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. Mark Bosanac, Head of Mopar Service, Parts & Customer Care, FCA – North America (left), and Mopar Dodge NHRA Top Fuel driver Leah Pritchett unveiled the new, track-only package car for Sportsmen drag racers. Only 50 cars will be produced.

“We want this to look so cool that when the customer buys a Challenger Drag Pak he or she wants to run these graphics because they are so iconic and stand out,” says 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.”

Four Generations of Track Experience

Construction of the Challenger Drag Pak begins with a standard-width Dodge Challenger Body-in-White (BIW) unibody built at the FCA Brampton Assembly Plant in Brampton, Ontario. An SFI-specification welded rollcage, rated for quarter-mile runs as fast as 7.50 seconds, is integrated into the body.

New for the fourth-generation Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak, the Strange rear axle assembly uses adjustable coilover shocks, four-link suspension with wishbone and an anti-roll bar. Wheelie bars and a parachute mount are integrated into the chassis and are standard.

Up front, a unique engine cross member lowers the center of gravity and improves weight distribution. The front also includes specific Bilstein double-adjustable struts.

The race-ready 2020 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak, powered by the supercharged 354-cubic-inch HEMI® V-8 engine, is fitted with a T400 three-speed transmission with a Kwik-Shift manual shifter, lightweight driveshaft, front and rear racing brakes, Racetech seats, Racepak Smartwire fully programmable power distribution center and a new, exclusive Drag Pak lightweight wheel and tire package.

Also new for 2020, the Drag Pak hood mimics the design of the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, with intake and heat extractors. Front and rear fascias use the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat design.

Mopar and Dodge//SRT Package Car Heritage

The Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak’s roots were firmly planted in the early 1960s with the factory production of Max Wedge package cars. In 1968, 426 HEMI-powered Dodge Dart and Plymouth Barracuda package cars were unleashed on the strip. Those vehicles continue to compete in the Super Stock/A-HEMI (SS/AH) class of NHRA Sportsman racing and the annual fan favorite Mopar HEMI Challenge, held during the NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, Indiana, since 2001.

In 2008, Mopar announced the first drag race, factory-prepped package cars in 40 years – the first V-8 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak. The 2009 program saw a first-year sell out of all 100 factory-built vehicles.

The 4th-generation Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak roared to life before a packed house at the 2019 SEMA Show on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. Mark Bosanac, Head of Mopar Service, Parts & Customer Care, FCA – North America unveiled the new, track-only package car for Sportsmen drag racers. Only 50 cars will be produced.

The 2010 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak program offered racers an available 6.4-liter HEMI engine. Then in 2011, Mopar introduced a race-ready V-10 package car, becoming the first original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to offer a 500-plus cubic-inch V-10 drag package car.

The third-generation 2015 Challenger Drag Pak saw the introduction of the first supercharged 354 HEMI as well as a naturally aspirated 426 Gen-III HEMI and was capable of 8.0-second ETs out of the box.

Leah Pritchett captured the 2018 NHRA Factory Stock Showdown World Championship, collected three wins and recorded the first official 7-second run in the class with the third-generation Challenger Drag Pak. Geoff Turk drove his Challenger Drag Pak to the 2018 NMCA Factory Super Cars World Championship and also posted the first official 7-second run in the class.

About the author

Andrew Wolf

Andrew has been involved in motorsports from a very young age. Over the years, he has photographed several major auto racing events, sports, news journalism, portraiture, and everything in between. After working with the Power Automedia staff for some time on a freelance basis, Andrew joined the team in 2010.
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