Drag Paks Dominate Tracks!

First introduced in 2009, Mopar® Challenger Drag Paks are invading racetracks—and racking up wins—across the country.

A potent demonstration of the power and performance of the Mopar Challenger Drag Pak, the Mopar brand’s next generation package car, occurred at the famed Mac Tools U.S. Nationals during Labor Day weekend. A record 14 Drag Paks entered for the event, and following a historic group photo in the staging lanes of O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, two Drag Pakers would go on to capture the first-ever U.S. Nationals victories in class eliminations for the Mopar Challenger Drag Pak.

Bottom line? Competitors beware: the domination of the Mopar Challenger Drag Pak in the NHRA Sportsman ranks has begun!

Jeff Teuton, of Houma, La., driving a Drag Pak powered by a Mopar 5.9L Magnum® V-8 engine, took the win in G/Stock Automatic class eliminations on Thursday, Sept. 2, at the U.S. Nationals with a 10.67-second elapsed time (ET) at 120.61 mph. Teuton became the first-ever Drag Pak driver to win at the U.S. Nationals. He was followed closely by Irvin Johns, of Charlestown Ind., who recorded a 10.16 ET at 132.32 mph in his Drag Pak to win the D/Stock Automatic championship later in the day. Johns won for the fourth time over the last two seasons in class eliminations at major NHRA events.

“It was great seeing all these Drag Paks out here,” said Teuton, who has owned Southland Dodge Chrysler Jeep® in Houma for 43 years. “The cars went fast. We’re all learning. Most of us are sharing information.”

Teuton first raced his Drag Pak in March at the Jegs Cajun SPORTSnationals, where he won his class. A longtime Mopar sportsman racer who owns a stable of Mopar drag cars, including three HEMI® ’Cudas, two Dodge Vipers, a Super Gas roadster and a stock truck, Teuton is extremely enthusiastic about his 
Drag Pak.

“I’ve enjoyed the Drag Pak program all the way through,” said Teuton, who has three 2010 Mopar Challenger Drag Paks on order. “The new HEMI motors, we haven’t got close to the bottom of how powerful they can be. Some of these guys are making 650 horsepower, and next year we will have 700.” Standout Drag Pakers included P.B. Candies, of Desa Allemands, La., who advanced to the fourth round in overall Stock eliminations in his “Cajun Challenger” Drag Pak. Candies is the son of Paul Candies, owner of the famed Candies & Hughes Mopar-powered Funny Car that racked up wins in the 1960s and ’70s. P.B.’s Drag Pak pays tribute to his father’s legendary “Cajun ’Cuda” Funny Car.

“It’s wonderful seeing these new, modern cars out here,” said P.B. Candies, whose 2009 Mopar Drag Pak (No. 13) was prepared at Roush Industries in Livonia, Mich. with the help of project manager 
Kyle Carrothers. “We took delivery of the car two weeks ago and our first race was this weekend. 
The car is wonderful. We were third quickest in our class. We’ve got some homework left to do, but for a debut we’re ahead of where we thought we would be.

“The Mopar Challenger Drag Pak is the next generation—the wave of the future. We’ve got one and we’re taking advantage of it and enjoying it while we can.”

“This is what we dreamed for right here, seeing all these cars come in,” said Larry Griffith, whose Drag Pak made its debut at Indy. “We hope to come back next year and see twice as many.”

The success of Drag Pak drivers at O’Reilly Raceway Park was just one of a number of events in which Mopar’s next generation package car has brought the buzz. Pick a racetrack, any racetrack, and most likely a Mopar Challenger Drag Pak vehicle has performed successfully at the venue.

Roy Johnson, engine builder for his son Allen Johnson’s Mopar Dodge Avenger NHRA Pro Stock team, got behind the wheel of his own Drag Pak and, after a nearly 30-year retirement from racing, qualified No. 1 in the Stock Eliminator field at the NHRA event at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway in June. Roy advanced all the way to the semifinals, nearly seizing the first overall Stock win for a Drag Pak at an NHRA National event. Drag Pak racers swept the top four spots in Stock Eliminator qualifying at the NHRA stop at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C., in September. Roy Johnson was at it again, topping the qualifying charts and followed by fellow Drag Pak drivers Doug Duell, James Beattie Jr. and Brooks Lee. Teuton claimed another class eliminations win in his Drag Pak at the NHRA Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex near Dallas in late September.

Mopar racing legend “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, who also competed in his Drag Pak at the Indy race, was runner-up in A/SA class eliminations at Texas Motorplex. Drag Pak drivers also broke through for class elimination wins at the Jegs Northern SPORTSnationals at National Trail Raceway near Columbus, Ohio. Carey Bales took the D/SA class win in his Drag Pak and also qualified No. 1 overall in Stock Eliminator with a 10.322 ET. Doug Duell notched an A/SA class win in his Drag Pak.

As the New Year approaches the future bodes well for the Mopar Challenger Drag Pak, with a 2011 edition waiting to hit the strip (see cover story). All signs point to an extended stay atop the NHRA sportsman ranks for the leaders of the “Pak.”