Muscling up for drag

Drag Versions

They still do things old-school at Chrysler - the company has created a drag-racing version of its Challenger muscle car.

Two examples of the Drag Race Package Car were demonstrated to fans at the 29th Annual Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Colorado.

Chrysler will build 100 Drag Package cars to meet National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) rules. "Big Daddy" Don Garlits and Judy "Miss Mighty Mopar" Lilly piloted the cars for their inaugural track runs.

The NHRA named Garlits the top driver of the past 50 years. "Miss Mighty Mopar" is one of the female pioneers in drag racing. The brace of Challengers are the first factory-prepped package cars built in 40 years.

They pay homage to the limited-edition 1968 Hemi-powered Package Cars, based on the Dodge Dart and Plymouth Barracuda. The drag racer has three engine options - 5.7, 5.9 or 6.1-litre V8s. NHRA is second to NASCAR in fan attendance.