Dodge’s First-Ever Charger Drag Pak Is Here: 354 HEMI + 3.0L Whipple, $234,995, 50 Units
I’ll shoot you straight: as a customer, I don’t care—because 99% of you aren’t buying a quarter-million-dollar, trailered, track-only Charger. But as a signal, this matters a lot. Dodge didn’t trot out a hypothetical clay model. They engineered and sold a HEMI-powered Charger in the new body. Translation: packaging is real, cooling is real, auxiliaries are real. A V8 fits this chassis. Period.
What it is: a factory, rules-legal path into NHRA’s production-based racing with a new-gen Charger shell. What it isn’t: the street HEMI announcement we’ve all begged for. Still, if you’re reading the tea leaves, this is the first formal proof Dodgehas been working in the background in putting Hemi’s in vehicles they claimed wouldn’t get one. The tables have turned.
Related Post
From Dodge’s own comms: the car ships as a turn-key race car with a cast-aluminum Gen3 HEMI block (select six-bolt main caps) plus a Whipple 3.0-liter twin-screw on top. It’s built by Riley Technologies in Mooresville, NC (the same Riley that lives and breathes pro racing). Only 50 will be produced, and Dodge set the starting MSRP at $234,995 (options will push it higher). blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Dodge’s enthusiast site has a dedicated Drag Pak Experience page laying out the flow: email/waitlist now, details and reservation window going live via DodgeGarage (Dodge’s pegs Friday, Nov 7, 2025 for the public info drop). If you’re serious, that’s where you’ll act, not in a dealer F&I box. Dodge Garage
Hot Rod has already walked the package at a high level and—importantly—underscores the “turn-key” nature and Riley build. They also say “begins at $254,995.” I’m going to plant my flag on Dodge’s official $234,995 start and assume Hot Rod is reflecting typical spec/option pricing that lands you in “quarter-mil” territory. Either way, it’s a race-car purchase, not a daily-driver decision. blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Dodge says to expect the public debut at the 2026 NHRA Gatornationals. NHRA’s own schedule shows March 5–8, 2026 for Gainesville, which lines up with Dodge’s blog language about the debut weekend. We’ll cover it from the track if anything meaningful pops (timeslips, teardowns, or parts you can actually buy for Six Pack cars). blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com
My take (and why this still matters)
- Proof of fitment: The HEMI + blower sits in the new Charger nose with cooling, accessories, and serviceability solved. That is not trivial, and it matters for anything Dodge might homologate later. blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com
- Motorsports → aftermarket: A Riley-built program usually means supplier pipelines, part numbers, and Direct Connection tie-ins bleed into customer parts catalogs over time. Watch DodgeGarage for what spins off to retail. Dodge Garage
- Street hopes stay alive: No, this isn’t your street Hellcat return. But it is Dodge publicly shipping HEMI power in the new chassis. That’s a directional breadcrumb, not a rumor.
Bottom line: If you drag race in NHRA’s factory-style classes and want a plug-and-play path with the newest body, congrats—your car is here. For everyone else waiting on a street-legal V8 Charger, this is not the reveal, but it’s the strongest on-paper evidence yet that Dodge can make it real when the business case and timing line up.
