Drag Pak 2010 Update Shaping Up To Be A Big Year

Words: Roger Meiners

“I can guarantee this will be the fastest Drag Pak or we won’t run it,” says Ray Barton about the new Mopar® Dodge Challenger Drag Pak being built for his son, David, to drive this season. Barton is developing the 6.1 HEMI® engine for the car. They will park their ’65 Coronet HEMI A-stocker while campaigning the Challenger.

Barton’s bravado is likely shared by every one of the estimated 100 Drag Pak owners who will be gearing up for the coming season. Irvin Johns, Charleston, Ind., had the fastest car last year, turning a 9.74 ET at Memphis. He was also the first in the nines (at the Bowling Greet points meet just before the U.S. Nationals) and the first in the 9.70s during the season. Randy Warford also ran strongly in 2009 with a 10.013 qualifying effort at Indy, a time that qualified him sixth in Stock Eliminator at 1.283 seconds under the index. Since then the NHRA has lowered the index and raised the power rating 5 hp for the ’09 Challenger, so the cars will have to weigh more.

While the Drag Pak program has been eagerly embraced by the racing community, it has also been a boon to chassis builders with so many cars needing to be assembled from the package. “It’s a really good deal for everybody,” says Mike Pustelny of Mike Pustelny Race Cars, Almont, Mich. “Mopar was smart to do an incomplete car,” he said. This created a market for car builders and parts manufacturers. “All the builders are busy and vendors are making new parts for the cars,” he said.

Pustelny has been in the program from the beginning, building the two prototype cars that announced the program at the Mopar NHRA Mile High Nationals in Denver with “Big Daddy” Don Garlits going head-to-head with “Miss Mighty Mopar” Judy Lilly behind the wheel of the second prototype. “Mopar was smart enough to sell the first car to Garlits. That drove a lot of publicity for the program and helped us,” he said. Pustelny has already assembled more than twelve production versions, including Garlits’ #1 car and Irvin Johns’ rocket ship.

Mike Roth, MR2 Performance, Lebanon, Ind., also a Mopar HEMI Challenge race car builder, uses MPR parts. He echoes Pustelny’s assessment. “Lots of vendors are getting involved,” he says. He is busy putting together the David Barton car as well as two others. Last year he put the finishing touches on Irvin Johns’ car. “This year Irvin may go 9.80, which won’t be an easy deal [with a new index and weight imposed by NHRA]. He could go faster,” said Roth.

Johns qualified No. 1 in Stock Eliminator at the 50th Anniversary NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., with his Drag Pak. “I had never run Pomona,” he said, but Johns said he went because it was a big celebration not to be missed. Jeg Coughlin also brought his Drag Pak and qualified sixth. Johns will run all the Division 3 points races including the NHRA events in Phoenix, St. Louis and the U.S. Nationals. He might also run the SportsNationals at Belle Rose, La. He will keep us up to date on his program as the year goes on.

Darren Breaud, B&B Race Cars, Hohenwald, Tenn., is also in the game, having built the Roy Johnson Drag Pak that Roy’s son, Mopar Pro Stock racer Allen Johnson, gave his dad for Christmas. See the story on page 13.

Larry Griffith says his big plan for 2010 is to add the second car. In February they went to Arrington’s shop in Martinsville, Va., to do the engine package. “Our goal is to have the premier motor, not just any motor, that’s why we’re going to Martinsville,” Griffith says. We are going to do things different with our engine, so this could be really exciting to go up against everybody. They are going to run a 5.7L in E/S next year in national events to take advantage of the favorable index and HP NHRA established for the engine. Griffith also plans to race in the Division 5 points race, plus exhibition events. “We want to run against the Mustang Cobra Jet. We have a neighbor who is getting one.” Griffith and his pal Larry Pontnack, the team director, plan to begin testing in mid-April or early May. They’ll be using a manual A-833 4-speed to establish a base line. That’s the gearbox Griffith used to win three straight UDRA Super Stock championships in the late 1960s and early 1970s. “We have several different gear sets we can use,” said Griffith.

The second Griffith car will have an automatic. It’s Jerry Goddard’s car driven by Jessie Westcott. “She’s a local sportsman racer who has shown great promise in being able to jump in a car and run right on the numbers,” says Griffith.

“We’re proud of our drag racing heritage at Mopar and we will continue to support our drag-race customers where they compete,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and Chief Executive Officer – Mopar Service, Parts and Customer Care, Chrysler Group LLC. “The Dodge Challenger Drag Pak program was a success last year, and we’ll be carrying that momentum into our 2010 build.”

Based on the 2010 Dodge Challenger SRT8® and finished in a Stock Eliminator configuration, The Dodge Challenger Drag Pak features a retro Stone White paint scheme and is sanctioned for NHRA Stock, Super Stock and Comp Eliminator drag racing. The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price is $39,999 and production begins this summer.

Orders for the 2010 Challenger Drag Pak must be submitted using the Dodge Challenger Drag Pak Application which is available now at www.mopar.com or from the Mopar Direct Connection Tech Line at 888-528-HEMI (4363). Customers should work with their local Dodge dealer to submit their application.

Stay tuned and see who will be top dog in 2010. Will it be Ray and David Barton, Irvin Johns, Larry Griffith, Jeg, Roy Johnson or one of the other 100 Drag Pak hot shoes? We will be sure to report it here and on www.moparspeed.com

IT SURE BEATS SOCKS AND BOXER SHORTS!

Most of us have that one extraordinary Christmas gift that stands out in our memories—a cherished first bicycle, a much sought after toy, or perhaps a new set of high-end tools. It’s not hard to figure out J&J Racing engine builder Roy Johnson’s all-time favorite gift—it’s the brand-new Dodge Challenger Drag Pak by Mopar vehicle his son, Team Mopar driver Allen Johnson, surprised him with on New Year’s Day!

Roy Johnson earned the 1975 and 1976 IHRA world championships and competed in a 1971 Dodge Challenger, inspiring his son’s racing career, before assuming engine builder duties for Allen Johnson’s J&J Racing team. Allen overheard his dad raving about the Mopar Drag Pak during the vehicle’s debut at the 2008 Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver and a seed was planted for how the son could pay back the father.

Allen Johnson had the Drag Pak body delivered to B&B Racecars, based in Hohenwald, Tenn., toward the end of October 2009. B&B hammered out the car, complete with a retro paint scheme nearly identical to that in which Roy Johnson campaigned in the ’70s, in a little over two months. It was completed just in time for Allen Johnson to surprise his dad with a HEMI-powered belated Christmas present that would turn any father green with envy. Roy Johnson’s Drag Pak will be powered by a 5.7L HEMI engine supplied by noted Mopar engine builder Gary Stanton and is the lowest serial-numbered vehicle of the few Drag Paks to carry the 5.7L HEMI.

“He walked in, opened the door, and it was like, ‘Bam!’,” said Allen Johnson of surprising his dad with the Mopar Drag Pak in the J&J Racing shop, with a large group of friends and family looking on. “It was awesome. Dad was completely surprised and shocked.” Roy Johnson plans to compete in his Mopar Drag Pak at divisional races close to home during down time from the NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock circuit, and may compete in NHRA national events at Bristol and Atlanta as well.