With the release of its fifth-generation Drag Pak racecar and an updated Gen III Hemi engine, Dodge looks to claim a third straight crown in the NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown class. For the first time, Dodge will compete with a two-door version of its race-prepped next-generation 2026 Dodge Charger, which will be powered by a supercharged 354ci Hemi (4.070/3.400 bore/stroke) that features an all-new aluminum cylinder block.
Previous Drag Pak versions were based on the Dodge Challenger, but the new Charger will be 100 pounds lighter with significant use of carbon-fiber components—and it will also revive the Hustle Stuff brand that was used with Mopar catalogs in the ‘70s. The Drag Pak is coming off back-to-back crowns in the Factory Stock Showdown with champion Mark Pawuk, who also set the class national record ET at 7.583 seconds. MSRP for 2026 Dodge Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak from Direct Connection will be $234,995—and only 50 units will be delivered.
The upgraded engine starts with a new short-block foundation that was developed, in part, to meet customer demand. “We focused on the block, crankshaft and rods,” says engineer Chad Seymour of Direct Connection, the performance parts brand for Dodge. “We were having a hard time getting those parts. We decided that if we have to re-source and retool the block, why don’t we look at all the feedback that we’ve gotten on these packages and redesign these parts.”
The block is bottom-fed-cast by Wolverine Bronze in Michigan, and numerous steps were taken to ensure minimal porosity. Strength was a key motivation when redesigning the cylinder block. Previous race teams had used fillers in the water passages to increase rigidity.
“We don’t do that for this block, it doesn’t need it,” explains Seymour, speaking at a SEMA presentation in November. “We changed the cylinder-wall thickness so we can accommodate different engine sizes. We changed the internal geometry to make sure we have the stiffness and rigidity that we need. At the same time, the water jackets are properly sized so we’re not having cooling problems, either.”
The raw block casting is machined by Callies in Ohio. Callies also supplies the crankshaft that is machined from EN30B billet steel and the Ultra H-beam connecting rods are machined from 4330V Timken steel. “And they’ve customized that crankshaft design for our application. It has gun-drilled mains and eight counterweights. They’ve lightened those counterweights, but they also custom machined them for windage to make sure that we’re getting the maximum efficiency,” adds Seymour, noting that the Diamond pistons are forged from 2618 alloy.
Seymour says the remainder of the engine package carries over from the previous version, such as the cylinder heads, Jesel valvetrain, 109mm billet throttle body and .675-inch-lift Mopar-spec camshaft. Also, the 3.0L Whipple screw supercharger returns but with a new billet belt tensioner. There is an optional lightweight engine component package that includes a Blackbird front cover and external oil-pump kit.
“What we focus on is delivering a turnkey package that if the customer wants to go one step further with tuning or other kinds of things, they can do that. But they have the package that they need,” adds Seymour.
The new cylinder block also paved the way for Mopar to bring back the Hellephant A30 426 supercharged crate engine. With a bore/stroke of 4.124/4.000, this Hemi also features a forged-steel 8-counterweight crankshaft, H-beam connecting rods and forged Mahle aluminum pistons. Other features include high-lift camshaft, Injector Dynamics 1050 injectors, stiffer nitride beehive valve springs and 9.5:1 compression ratio. Key, of course, is an updated 3.0L twin-screw supercharger with a 92mm throttle body.
“We did that because, when Dodge introduced the Demon 170—the 1,000-horsepower version, cast-iron-block engine—they made some changes to the supercharger, which we benefited from, so we brought that supercharger over to the 426 Hemi,” explains Seymour. “It’s about 20-25 percent more airflow with that supercharger.”
