HEMI Challenge Celebrates 1968 Dart and Barracuda Super Stock
Slideshow: Mopar celebrates the 50th anniversary of its 1968 Dodge Dart and Plymouth Barracuda Super Stock cars with continued sponsorship of the HEMI Challenge at the NHRA U.S. Nationals.
50 Years Young
While the game-changing Gen II 426 race HEMI engine celebrated its birthday in 2014, another half-century anniversary is upon us: it’s been 50 years since Mopar unleashed their 426-powered Super Stockers upon the world. And like the Gen II’s birthday, the 1968 Dodge Dart and Plymouth Barracuda Super Stocks’ anniversaries were celebrated via Dodge’s continued sponsorship of the NHRA Dodge HEMI Challenge, held for the 18th year at the U.S. Nationals. And no celebration would have been complete without the honored guests in appearance, as lucky fans got to see the famed Mopar-powered A-bodies compete head to head.
Superb Stock
The Dodge HEMI Challenge features NHRA Sportsman Super Stock/A-HEMI (SS/AH class) entries competing in 1968 Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas. Chrysler Corp created the most famous 1968 HEMI Super Stock “package” cars when it contracted Hurst to construct the 50 or so lightweight HEMI-powered Darts and Barracudas needed to compete in the NHRA’s Super Stock class. The cars received extensive modifications, first having the seats, carpet, rear view mirrors, and anything else stripped out of them that wouldn’t help them get down the quarter mile. To shed more weight, the windows were replaced with extra-thin glass, the doors were acid dipped, the fenders and hood were made from fiberglass, and lightweight seats on aluminum brackets replaced the original front seats.
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Pak-ing
Of course, the Super Stockers’ HEMIs got worked over as well and featured cross-ram intake manifolds, Hooker headers, and a bump to 12.5:1 compression. Like modern HEMI cars built for the strip, the hot set-up was an automatic, with the ‘68s getting 727 TorqueFlites modified for manual shifting. These forerunners of modern Drag Pak cars also included a laundry list of other upgrades, from sure-grip 4.85 ratio rear ends with heavy-duty axle shafts, to trunk-mounted batteries, and even deep-grooved engine drive pulleys.
>>Join the conversation about the HEMI Challenge and the Super Stock right here in Dodge Forum!
Honoring a Legacy
The fact that 50-year-old drag package cars are not only running strong, but also drawing crowds was not lost on their manufacturer. “This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Dodge Dart and Plymouth Barracuda Super Stock cars that debuted back in 1968 and are still competing today, which makes our support of this edition of the Hemi Challenge extra special,” said FCA North America’s Steve Beahm, Head of Dodge//SRT Passenger Cars. “The Dodge brand is proud to serve as title sponsor of the NHRA Dodge Hemi Challenge, an event that spotlights the legacy and power of the 426 HEMI engine.”
>>Join the conversation about the HEMI Challenge and the Super Stock right here in Dodge Forum!
Elephant Trophy
At this year’s Hemi Challenge, all 16 drivers that make it through to the elimination rounds took home a cash prize, while the ultimate prize, a 42.6-pound (paying tribute to the 426 ci HEMI) trophy went to competitor James Daniels. Daniels, winning his third Dodge HEMI Challenge title in as many years, claimed his $15,000 award for his 8.622 second, 156.15 mph victory run against Gary Wolkwitz, in an all 1968 HEMI Dart factory racer final.
>>Join the conversation about the HEMI Challenge and the Super Stock right here in Dodge Forum!
Top Finisher Award
Dodge also continued the tradition started last year of awarding the Dodge Top Finisher award to the most committed NHRA Sportsman competitors. The $500 prizes go to the Mopar-powered vehicle drivers who made it deepest in all 24 national Stock and Super Stock events throughout the year.
>>Join the conversation about the HEMI Challenge and the Super Stock right here in Dodge Forum!
More Mopars
Speaking of sponsorship, Dodge is doing more than just putting on events and building cars that win them. Dodge and Mopar are helping others build winning Mopar-based NHRA race cars as well. They are doing so by upping their sponsorship of Leah Pritchett’s Top Fuel dragster and extending primary sponsorship of Matt Hagan’s Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car. As Graham Light, NHRA senior vice president of racing operations, says: “At each national event, our Mopar-powered racers are keenly aware of the bonus presented by Dodge.” So are we. So is the world, every last hemisphere of it.
>>Join the conversation about the HEMI Challenge and the Super Stock right here in Dodge Forum!
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