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Andrew Wolf July 19, 2018NHRA Funny Car ace Matt Hagan will debut an all-new 2019 Dodge Charger Funny Car body, fittingly, at this weekend’s Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Denver, Colorado. The new body, replicating the popular Charger SRT Hellcat, is the result of extensive research and development in the wind tunnel by Chrysler and Mopar engineers to produce a higher-performing price for the Don Schumacher Racing drivers as they chase the NHRA Mello Yello Series crown.
Notes Hagan, “we improved on the body design. It was already a great design, a great body. But now, we’re going to have a little more downforce, a little more traction on these racetracks, and it will be a huge performance advantage. We will be able to press harder, with more downforce on the nose, which translates into huge amounts of downforce on the run.”Hagan tested the body at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk in late June, setting the stage for its debut in front of the Mopar brass at the brand’s long-time title-sponsored event in Denver. “We are really excited to run the new Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat body in competition, both in qualifying and the race itself at Denver,” says team principal Don Schumacher
Official release from Dodge:July 19, 2018, Denver, Colorado – A new, wickedly quick, Mopar-powered National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Funny Car version of the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat has been let loose and is coming soon to a drag strip near you.
The new 2019 Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat NHRA Funny Car body will make its competition debut this weekend at the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Powered by Mopar at Bandimere Speedway near Denver, July 20-22. The Mopar and Dodge//SRT brands will show the new body for the first time this afternoon during a pre-race press conference.“Our job at Mopar is to put the best race car underneath our drivers and keep them winning. We know this new body, developed in collaboration with the Dodge//SRT brand and Don Schumacher Racing, will do just that,” said Pietro Gorlier, Head of Parts and Service (Mopar), FCA. “The changes made to this new Funny Car body will improve on-track performance and help us carry on the Mopar brand’s long tradition of success at the dragstrip.”“The Dodge//SRT brand is all about performance, and the introduction of the Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat NHRA Funny Car body showcases our commitment to performance and excellence at the dragstrip,” said Steve Beahm, Head of Passenger Car Brands – Dodge//SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA – North America. “We are looking forward to celebrating our brand’s first year as title sponsor of the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Powered by Mopar by treating fans to the competition debut of the new Charger SRT Hellcat NHRA Funny Car.”
Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Funny Car driver Matt Hagan will be the first to harness the new 10,000-plus horsepower beast. The two-time Funny Car World champion will debut his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat at the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Powered by Mopar. Hagan’s DSR teammates, Jack Beckman, Ron Capps and Tommy Johnson Jr., will make the transition to the new Funny Car body during the 2018 season.“This new Funny Car body is something that Mopar and Dodge//SRT have put a lot of work and support behind, from R&D to wind tunnel testing,” said Hagan, who has spent all ten years of his drag racing career behind the wheel of a Mopar-powered Dodge Charger. “We improved on the body design. It was already a great design, a great body. But now, we’re going to have a little more downforce, a little more traction on these racetracks, and it will be a huge performance advantage. We will be able to press harder, with more downforce on the nose, which translates into huge amounts of downforce on the run.”