AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Dec. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Mopar and Dodge Team Up for Factory-backed Support of Amateur Racers
- Mopar and Dodge team up to support three factory-backed Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak cars in '17
- "Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Drag Pak Rewards" program supports modern-day package car amateur racers
- FCA US LLC engineers to provide racers technical support at all 24 NHRA National events in 2017
- New Dodge brand exhibit to join Mopar display trailer on NHRA Manufacturers Midway at 15 national events
- Mopar HEMI® Challenge, Sportsman Appreciation Night and Tom Hoover Challenge also continue in 2017
The Mopar brand is adding horsepower to its support of amateur, non-professional NHRA Sportsman racers with a slate of new
programs and resources for the 2017 season. Initiatives include factory-backing for select Mopar and Dodge NHRA Sportsman teams,
a new "Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Drag Pak Rewards" program, technical at-track assistance for grassroots racers and
increased outreach and communication with Sportsman competitors.
Mopar will team up with the Dodge brand to provide factory-backed support for three supercharged, 354-cubic-inch Mopar Dodge
Challenger Drag Pak NHRA Sportsman machines that will carry the official Mopar and Dodge colors next year. In addition, the new
"Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Drag Pak Rewards" program will provide monetary awards to the dedicated amateur racers who
compete in the Mopar brand's modern-day package car, the Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak.
Also new for next season, FCA US LLC engineers will attend each of the 24 NHRA national events to provide all Mopar-powered
NHRA Sportsman racers with technical advice and guidance. Unlike professional drivers in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series,
amateur NHRA Sportsman racers often compete with little or no sponsorship, supporting their weekends at the dragstrip via their
own funds.
"Amateur Sportsman racers fuel our brand's involvement in NHRA competition," said Bill Harry,
Head of Marketing, Mopar. "In 2017, we're backing up those words with new initiatives that prove our commitment to our most
dedicated and passionate brand ambassadors. We're also very excited to work more closely with the Dodge brand in providing select
factory-backed support for Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak drivers. This enhanced commitment, combined with our
championship-winning relationship with Don Schumacher Racing in Funny Car and Top Fuel, demonstrates that we are focused on NHRA
involvement that makes the most sense for the Mopar brand."
In addition to teaming with Mopar in factory support of a trio of Dodge Challenger Drag Pak machines, Dodge will also
introduce a new brand display, located next to the Mopar trailer on NHRA Manufacturers Midway, at 15 of 24 NHRA national
events.
"The Dodge brand has a long, proud tradition in NHRA drag racing dating back to the early 1960s," said Tim Kuniskis, Head of
Passenger Cars, Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and Fiat, FCA North America. "We look forward to extending that tradition by joining forces
with Mopar to provide support for select Dodge Challenger Drag Pak NHRA Sportsman teams for the 2017 season. Our new Dodge
display at 15 NHRA events will also give us a great opportunity to connect with the performance-loving enthusiasts who truly
embrace and identify with our brand."
Factory-backed Mopar Dodge Drag Paks
In 2016, Joe Welch Racing debuted a 354-cubic-inch Gen III HEMI® engine-powered Drag Pak, wrapped in
official Mopar and Dodge graphics, at the NHRA U.S. Nationals. For 2017, the team will add another car to form a formidable pair
of factory-backed Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak entries.
One Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak will be steered by Michigan native and team owner Welch.
The seat of the second Joe Welch Racing Drag Pak machine will be reserved for a Mopar and Dodge-sponsored, nitro-fueled star from
the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. The driver, who will compete at select events, will be announced in the near future.
The third Mopar and Dodge-backed entry will boast a championship pedigree — the elite team of owner Jeff Teuton and driver
Kevin Helms. The duo, who partnered to capture the 2015 NHRA Stock Eliminator World Championship
in a Teuton-owned Drag Pak, will seek to reclaim that title-winning magic in a supercharged, official Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag
Pak entry.
The three factory-backed Drag Pak cars will also be used in a developmental capacity, yielding information and data to help
grow the Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak program, which has produced 260 factory-built race cars since it was introduced in late
2008.
"Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Drag Pak Rewards" Program
The "Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Drag Pak Rewards" program will offer payouts to the Top 20 Mopar Dodge
Challenger Drag Pak drivers, as determined by the program's points system. Points will be awarded for entries, runner-up finishes
and victories. Rewards will also be offered for a Factory Stock Showdown NHRA Nationals event win and a Stock Eliminator or Super
Stock World Championship claimed by a Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak competitor. The "Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Drag
Pak Rewards" program will commence in February at the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona,
California. More information will be shared via the twice monthly "Mopar Speed"
e-newsletter to be distributed early next year.
Mopar Contingency Program, HEMI Challenge, Sportsman Appreciation Night Continue in '17
In addition to the "Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Drag Pak Rewards" program, Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak drivers will also
be eligible for awards under the long-running Mopar Contingency Program. The program — open to all Mopar-powered Sportsman racers
— rewards competitors who compete with specified Mopar parts and carry the Mopar Contingency decal on their race vehicle.
Also, returning for 2017 are the Mopar HEMI Challenge and the Mopar Sportsman Appreciation Night, two programs that have
become mainstays of the premier event on the NHRA circuit, the U.S. Nationals.
Back at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis for the 17th year in 2017, the Mopar HEMI Challenge
showcases SS/AH Sportsman class competitors in head-to-head battle on the quarter-mile. The event features the classic muscle
cars that contributed to the brand's legendary reputation and success at the drag strip. The 1968 Dodge Dart and Plymouth
Barracuda "package cars," factory-built for the strip, were precursors to the Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak vehicles that
compete today in NHRA Stock Eliminator, Factory Stock Showdown and Super Stock.
Mopar will also recognize its grassroots racers at the brand's annual Mopar Sportsman Appreciation Night at the U.S.
Nationals. The event will offer free food, drinks, tech seminars, Q&A sessions and multiple Mopar prize giveaways to showcase
the brand's appreciation for its dedicated brand ambassadors.
The Tom Hoover Sportsman Challenge will continue to recognize the outstanding Mopar Sportsman
racer who accumulates the most points over a full season while competing in Stock or Super Stock Class racing. The award is named
after legendary racer and engineer Tom Hoover, acknowledged as the father of the 426 Gen II HEMI
engine. The annual winner receives a cash award and a custom trophy.
About Dodge and SRT Brands
The Dodge brand is America's mainstream performance brand. With the purification of the brand and consolidation with
SRT, Dodge is focusing on its performance roots with every single model it offers. The Dodge and SRT brands offer a complete
lineup of performance vehicles that stand out within their own segments. Dodge is the mainstream performance brand and SRT is
positioned as the ultimate performance halo of the Dodge brand, together creating a complete and balanced performance brand with
one vision and one voice.
From muscle cars to minivans, crossovers and full-size SUVs, the Dodge brand's full lineup of 2017 models deliver
best-in-class horsepower, class-exclusive technology, unmatched capability and a slew of cool features, such as LED headlamps,
Dodge signature racetrack tail lamps, active exhaust, cold-air induction, 8.4-inch touchscreen Uconnect infotainment centers and
7-inch customizable gauge clusters, to name a few. For the 2017 model year, the Dodge brand lineup features the 25th anniversary
Viper, Durango, Grand Caravan, Journey, Charger and Challenger, including the new Charger Daytona and Challenger T/A, as well as
the 707-horsepower Challenger SRT Hellcat, the most powerful and fastest muscle car ever and the Charger SRT Hellcat, the
quickest, fastest and most powerful sedan in the world.
About Mopar Motorsports
The Mopar brand's commitment to professional motorsports competition was established in the 1950s when a partnership
ignited with drag racing pioneer Don Garlits, resulting in the breaking of numerous speed and
performance barriers in HEMI-powered vehicles over the next several decades. In 2016, thanks to Don Schumacher Racing driver
Ron Capps, Mopar captured its fourth NHRA Funny Car World Championship in the last six years. As
Mopar celebrates 80 years as a brand in 2017, it will focus its NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series efforts on NHRA Funny Car
and, with rising star Leah Pritchett, NHRA Top Fuel Dragster. Mopar will also bolster its
commitment to NHRA Sportsman racing with new contingency rewards, factory support and at-track technical advice and guidance.
About Mopar Brand
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked in 1937 with the launch of an antifreeze
product, but it truly made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era. From Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and
handling for both road and racing use, the brand soon expanded to include technical service and customer support.
Today, Mopar is the service, parts and customer-care brand of FCA US LLC and distributes more than 500,000 parts and
accessories in over 150 markets around the world. With more than 50 parts distribution centers and 25 customer contact centers
globally, Mopar integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance dealer and customer support worldwide.
Mopar is the source for genuine parts and accessories for FCA brands.
Mopar parts are engineered together with the same teams that create factory-authorized specifications for FCA vehicles. This
offers a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. A complete list of Mopar accessories and
performance parts is available at www.mopar.com.
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SOURCE FCA US LLC