--- title: "The New Dodge Charger Drag Pak Has a V8. So Where’s the Hemi Road Car?" date: "2025-10-31" modified: "2025-10-31" authors: - name: "Caleb Jacobs" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/caleb-jacobs" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/the-new-dodge-charger-drag-pak-has-a-v8-so-wheres-the-hemi-road-car" categories: - "Dodge News" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "charger" - "dodge" - "sports car" --- # The New Dodge Charger Drag Pak Has a V8. So Where’s the Hemi Road Car? ![Dodge Charger Drag Pak]() *\Dodge\* You're looking at a new [Dodge]() Charger with a V8 under the hood. It's a factory job, and although it's a far cry from a production model, one can't help but feel like this might foreshadow something. Now, I'm not saying that a stock Charger will hit the road with a monstrous 3.0-liter Whipple supercharger like this drag racer has, but Dodge sells high-performance Hurricane I6 crate engines that would've fit the bill for this. Come to think of it, [the last Challenger Drag Pak ran one of those twin-turbo six-cylinders](). Hmm... You and I could speculate all day about what this car means for the brand, but before we do that, I'll hit you with the facts and specs. It runs a 358-cubic-inch V8 that's NHRA-approved for competition. That engine is obviously a mighty one, and it helped Dodge win the last two NHRA Factory Stock Showdown championships. ![Dodge Charger Drag Pak]() ![Dodge Charger Drag Pak]() ![Dodge Charger Drag Pak]() In addition to the 3.0-liter Whipple, the engine sports a cast aluminum block with six-bolt main caps, a forged steel crank with eight counterweights, forged H-beam connecting rods, and diamond aluminum pistons. The roller lifters and rocker arms are from Jesel, while a Holley EFI lightweight Dominator ECU manages all the thinking. Rest assured that it sounds great thanks to stainless steel long-tube headers. Dodge made sure the rest of the drivetrain was up to snuff, too. A three-speed Coan Racing XLT automatic transmission works in tandem with a 9.65-inch torque converter from the same company, sending power to a Mark Williams Enterprises modular 9-inch rear axle with a 4.30 final drive ratio. The standard driveshaft is a lightweight 4-inch tube made from 7075 aluminum, though a carbon fiber one is available. To me, what's downstream of the engine is where factory builds stand out from most (not all) big-power customer cars. Well, that and the suspension. ![Dodge Charger Drag Pak]() ![Dodge Charger Drag Pak]() ![Dodge Charger Drag Pak]() Speaking of suspension, the Charger Drag Pak features an adjustable four-link rear suspension with coilover shocks. Crews can further dial the car in by adjusting the anti-roll bar, as well as the camber shims and toe links. The front suspension also received its fair share of attention with aluminum upper and lower control arms, plus a lightweight K-member with clever integrated engine mounts. All this means something to drag racers. I won't pretend like I'm the end-all, be-all expert on the topic, though I will say that Dodge knows what it's doing with these specialized machines as well as anyone else. What I'm most curious to know is if this is a sign of what's to come, given that the manufacturer *could have* gone forward with [the 1,000-hp "CatX" crate engine that it teased last year](). But it didn't. What gives? [I believe I have a pretty good idea](). *Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com* ## Author Caleb Jacobs is The Drive’s senior editor. When he’s not searching for stories or poring over copy, he’s usually driving his dump truck or wishing it was running so he could drive it. He was born and raised in the Missouri Ozarks, and he lives there today with his family. ### Author social links [LinkedIn]() [Instagram]() [Twitter]()