Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s Parts division, has announced that the world’s fastest super stockers will once again face off during the 2009 season. The ground-pounding 800 horsepower HEMI-powered 1968 Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas will continue their forty-year domination of the NHRA’s top stock class beginning this Labor Day Weekend in Indianapolis.

The three-event 2009 Mopar HEMI Challenge Race Series schedule will blast off at the prestigious Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Ind., Sept. 2–7. The HEMI Challenge series will then head to the JEGS Northern SPORTS nationals in Columbus, Ohio, on Sept. 25–27. The third and final 2009 Challenge event will be on October 22–25 at the Dutch Classic at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa. The U.S. Nationals victor will take home a $10,000 winner’s purse. The winners of the other two events will haul in $5,000 paydays. Each HEMI Challenge race is a stand-alone event.

An impressive company of Super Stock/A-HEMI (SS/AH) pilots are scheduled to make the trek to Indy. Expected drivers and teams include 2008 HEMI Challenge series champion Charlie Westcott Jr. and his father, Charlie Westcott Sr., who was runner-up in the ’08 standings. The Westcotts both compete in 1968 Plymouth Barracudas. Third-place series finisher Jim Pancake will drive his Dodge Dart and fourth-place series finisher John Raines will also compete. Jim Daniels, winner of the final 2008 Mopar HEMI Challenge event at Maple Grove Raceway in Pennsylvania, will race in his Dodge Dart. Westcott Jr., plans to debut a newly-built 1968 Plymouth Barracuda this year. His previous car, the 1968 “Warfish” Barracuda, which dominated the series in 2008, is scheduled to be retired. Other drivers include Bucky Hess, Larry Woo, Joe Teuton Jr., Rick Houser, Darrell Marvel, and Fred Henson.

“The Mopar HEMI Challenge illustrates the amazing dedication of the grassroots racers who are the core of the series,” said Jim Sassorossi, Director—Mopar Global Parts Sales and Marketing, Chrysler Group LLC. “The dedicated racers who compete in the Mopar HEMI Challenge buy parts from a Dodge, Chrysler or Jeep dealership and pour money, time and sweat into their Mopar HEMI-powered race cars. They are great examples of the passion that exists in the drag racing community for the Mopar brand.”

More than 70 Years of Mopar

When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need for a dedicated parts manufacturer, supplier and distribution system to support the growing enterprise led to the formation of the Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation (CMPC) in 1929. Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for a line of antifreeze products in 1937. It also was widely used as a moniker for the CMPC. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960’s – the muscle car era. The Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth “package cars” equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of “special parts” for super stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use. Today, Chrysler Group LLC’s Parts division is responsible for the distribution of nearly 350,000 authentic Mopar replacement parts, components and accessories for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles sold around the world. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to Chrysler engineering standards.