Dodge Challenger Drag Pak boasts bigger blower, revamped rear suspension for 2021
Dodge is opening orders soon for its newest recipe for National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) domination: the 2021 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak, the fourth generation of the factory-backed track specials. With significant changes to the motor and the suspension, we’re betting this will be the quickest and fastest Drag Pak yet.
The first change you’ll see under the hood is the new 3.0-liter Whipple blower, a twin-screw unit that’s cooled by a liquid-to-air intercooler via an ice-chilled aluminum reservoir. The all-new supercharger sits atop a familiar Drag Pak-only 354-cubic-inch (5.8-liter) Gen III Hemi, beefed up by Mopar with a forged rotating assembly and a new accessory drive to further optimize its quarter-mile performance. A Holley Dominator ECU runs the operation, making tuning a breeze with a familiar suite of tools. Mopar also utilizes Racepak’s CAN Bus-based Smartwire Power Distribution Module, replacing the traditional switch panel and relay set with solid-state parts—a slick change, since it hides many of the major buttons needed during a run behind a factory-spec facade.
Viewed from below, the Drag Pak looks nothing like lesser-equipped Challengers. Up front sits a unique K-member that supports double adjustable Bilstein coilovers; out back, a four-link rear axle replaces the independent-rear setup of the showroom-standard model. Even better, the 2021 Drag Pak sports a new rear suspension geometry to help it “decimate” 60-foot times. Longer control arms help dial in anti-squat—a suspension’s ability to use the torque-reaction of the axle to fight suspension compression—and help to transfer more weight onto the tires. A new center wishbone link keeps the axle centered through the range of travel better than the lateral arc of a panhard bar ever could.
The rear axle is flanked by Bilstein shock absorbers and either a set of Weld Racing or Bogart wheels, each 15 x 10 inches and wrapped in a 30×9-inch Mickey Thompson ET Drag Pro Radial. The front end carries 17×4.5 wheels and skinny 27.5×4-inch tires.
50 lucky racers get the chance to hit the strip in an all-new Drag Pak, priced at $143,485 as a turn-key race car for NHRA and NMCA dominance. Order reservations for the new 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak officially open on Sept. 9, 2020 on a first-come, first-served basis.
