The retirement of the LX/LC platform not only concluded the existing 4-door Chargers but extinguished the 2-door Challenger, and thereby, the chassis used by all Drag Pak models. This vacancy remain unfilled for a couple of years while the new Charger Daytona EV stumbled across dealer floors and languished on sales lots. Devoid of its iconic Hellcat HEMI powerplant, the replacement coupe and sedan Chargers just lacked the appeal of its predecessors. That is, until now.
Working through Mopar’s Direct Connection performance catalog division, Dodge reinvented the Drag Pak using the current Charger as its muse. The electric drivetrain now officially retired, the Drag Pak – now named “Hustle Stuff” –touts a similar 3.0L Whipple supercharged 354cui HEMI to the outgoing Challenger Drag Pak. Per Dodge, the Hustle Stuff Charger is capable of 7-second 1/4-miles passes, and the safety equipment included in this machine speak to that claim.
Priced at nearly $235,000, the Hustle Stuff Charger Drag Pak featured a newly-designed, cast-aluminum Gen III Hemi engine block, a new forged crankshaft, new forged H-beam connecting rods, new billet belt tensioner, and lightweight Diamond pistons. On the outside, the Charger employs a carbon fiber front fascia, hood, doors and rear hatch, includes an extensive safety cage system – making it about a hundred pounds less than the prior Challenger Drag Pak and far more rigid.
The Hustle Stuff Charger will be available in 19 colors, including “White Knuckle, B5 Blue, Frostbite, Go Mango, Plum Crazy, Sinamon Stick and Sublime” per Patrick Rall’s reporting. Additionally, there will also be three optional graphics packages, including the “Hustle Stuff”/Direct Connection layout shown here. There will only be 50 units made, each with a specific data plate and serialized number. Each will be built in Mooresville, NC by legendary race car builder, Riley Technologies.
Here’s the original press release:
Dodge launches its first Dodge Charger Drag Pak: the all-new 2026 Dodge Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak by Direct Connection. The brand’s newest purpose-built race car unites SRT race HEMI® engine power with a drag-race-ready version of the new Dodge Charger.
Only 50 serialized units of the 2026 Dodge Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak by Direct Connection, the most technologically advanced Drag Pak race car to date, will be built. The limited-production drag car is engineered for grassroots NHRA Sportsman drag racers, with each of the 50 race cars NHRA-approved for Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) competition.
The Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak is the first race car to be included under the umbrella of the newly reestablished Street and Racing Technology (SRT) Performance division, responsible for SRT high-performance models, Direct Connection performance parts and American brand motorsports initiatives, including Dodge competition in NHRA and the Ram brand’s recently announced plans to return to the NASCAR Truck Series in 2026.
Mopar’s Hustle Stuff catalogs in the 1970s were the racers’ guide to performance, including lightweight and performance upgrades. That spirit of racing technology and the search for the last 10th of performance lives on in the Dodge Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak.
“The Dodge Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak is mission-engineered to equip our FSS drivers with an upgraded, championship-winning, supercharged HEMI race engine wrapped in a next-level race car incarnation of the all-new Dodge Charger,” said Kevin Kidd, motorsports competition director for Stellantis American Brands. “The Challenger Drag Pak’s swan song was back-to-back NHRA Factory Stock Showdown crowns, and this first-ever Charger Drag Pak is purpose-designed to extend Dodge’s legacy of drag strip domination.”
Key features and component upgrades for the first Charger Drag Pak include:
- All-new exterior look and feel of the bold, heritage-inspired design of the new Dodge Charger
- Upgraded version of the championship-proven, 354-cubic-inch HEMI V-8 engine, developed by SRT engineers
- Special plaque on billet cover of the 3.0L Whipple supercharger indicates production number on each of the limited-edition, turnkey drag cars
- Engineered with upgrades, including newly designed GEN III aluminum HEMI engine block, all-new H-beam connecting rods, Diamond aluminum pistons, all-new forged-steel eight-counterweight crankshaft and more
- Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak capable of sub-eight-second elapsed times
- All-new, upgraded and strengthened four-link rear suspension with Mark Williams Enterprises 9-inch rear axle and 4.30:1 final drive ratio
- Reduction of both static and rotating weight throughout for increased performance compared with the previous-generation Challenger Drag Pak
- Hustle Stuff equipment includes all-new, lightweight, carbon-fiber front fascia, hood, doors and hatch — new Drag Pak is 100 lbs. lighter than the last generation
- Engineered with lightweight K member and front and rear bumpers
- Three-speed Coan Racing transmission with micro polished internals and lightweight aluminum driveshaft for maximum strength and performance
- Double-adjustable coilover shocks developed specifically for the Charger Drag Pak
- Holley EFI Dominator ECU and Racepak 6.86-inch digital dash display
- Fully programmable Racepak Smartwire power distribution module
The Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak is delivered standard in White Knuckle exterior color, with a rainbow of 18 additional high-impact hues available, including classic colors, such as B5 Blue, Frostbite, Go Mango, Plum Crazy, Sinamon Stick and Sublime, to name just a few. Three optional graphic packages, including a red-and-blue striped version that features the Direct Connection logo on the hood, are available.
Dodge is also giving NHRA Sportsman racers 26,000 reasons to earn the first NHRA Factory Stock Showdown event win in the all-new Drag Pak. As part of the NHRA Contingency program, Dodge will reward the racer who captures the first victory in the 2026 Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak with an unprecedented $26,000 payday — the highest payout ever offered under the contingency program.
All-new Charger Looks, Hustle Stuff Lightweight Body
The all-new Dodge Charger Drag Pak takes a page out of the original Hustle Stuff catalogs and incorporates multiple lightweight parts in the next-generation race-ready drag car. The Charger Drag Pak brings the look and feel of the all-new Charger to NHRA drag racing for the first time ever in a package that is 100 lbs. lighter than the previous Challenger Drag Pak.
The new Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak includes carbon-fiber versions of the hood, doors, front fascia and hatch of the all-new gas-powered Dodge Charger. The hood bezel of the production Charger is also replaced by an exclusive “Drag Pak” logo. The Fratzog logo, Dodge’s newest symbol of performance, takes center stage on both the front and rear fascia.
The muscular widebody race car has been further enhanced with a lightweight front suspension K member, front and rear bumpers, driveshaft loop, chromoly safety cage, 10-foot cross-form parachute and wheelie bar with wheels inspired by the iconic Fratzog logo.
The Drag Pak’s interior maintains elements of the new production Charger’s driver-focused design and incorporates distinctive Drag Pak ID through a unique HUSTLE STUFF badge on the instrument panel. The removable steering wheel features a carbon-fiber-styled Fratzog logo in the center, offering another nod to the all-new Charger.
The full interior includes carbon-fiber instrument panel closeouts and an SFI 25.5/7.50 ET NHRA-certified chromoly roll cage, Sabelt lightweight SFI-certified seats embroidered with Direct Connection and Hustle Stuff logos, Sabelt SFI-certified safety harnesses and a window net.
Powertrain of Champions
The Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak is fortified with an upgraded version of the NHRA-approved, 354-cubic-inch HEMI V-8 engine that currently holds the NHRA Factory Stock Showdown sub-7.60-second elapsed time world record and has helped claim the past two NHRA Factory Stock Showdown championships.
Key features and upgrades of the new Charger Drag Pak include:
Engine
- Whipple 3.0L twin-screw supercharger
- Newly designed cast aluminum GEN III HEMI engine block includes select six-bolt main metal caps for added strength
- All-new race forged-steel eight-counterweight crankshaft
- All-new high-performance forged H-beam connecting rods
- New high-performance, lightweight billet belt tensioner
- Diamond aluminum pistons
- Mopar spec camshaft with 0.675-inch lift
- Jesel solid roller lifters and rocker arms
- Billet aluminum, 109mm throttle body
- Stainless-steel long-tube headers
- Holley EFI lightweight Dominator ECU
- Racepak Smartwire power module, 6.86-inch display, V300SD data logger
- Wet sump oil pump, fabricated aluminum pan, C&R lightweight radiator and cooling fan, electric water pump
Transmission
- Coan Racing XLT three-speed automatic transmission with internal accumulator and lightweight 300M internals
- Coan Racing 9.65-inch (245mm), high-performance, bolt-together torque converter
- CNC machined billet aluminum stator and billet aluminum cover
- Cast deep aluminum pan, Reid SFI case and GEN III HEMI bellhousing
- M&M aluminum three-speed safe neutral shifter
Suspension
- All-new rear suspension geometry for improved performance
- Four-link adjustable rear suspension with diagonal link
- Custom Drag Pak double-adjustable coilover shocks
- Adjustable anti-roll bar with spherical ends and adjustable ride height rear spring perches
- Front suspension features lightweight race designed front knuckles
- Adjustable camber shims and toe links
- Lightweight wheel bearing assemblies
- Aluminum upper and lower control arms with steel spherical bearings
- Lightweight front suspension K-member with integrated engine mounts
Wheels/Tires
- WELD Racing lightweight forged-aluminum 17-by-4.5-inch front wheels, WELD Racing Double Beadlock, lightweight forged-aluminum 15-by-11-inch rear wheels
- Mickey Thompson ET Front 27.5 X 4.0-17 front tires, Mickey Thompson ET Drag Pro Drag Radial 30.0 x 9.0 R15 rear tires
Gears/Axles/Driveshaft
- Mark Williams Enterprises modular 9-inch custom Drag Pak axle
- 9-inch aluminum center section
- 40-spline superlight gun-drilled and pocketed axles
- Micro polished and lightened ring and pinion for reduced rotating weight, delivering a 4.30:1 final drive ratio
- Lightweight 4-inch diameter 7075 aluminum driveshaft, 0.125-inch wall thickness
Brakes/Pedals
- Mark Williams Enterprises quick change four-piston, aluminum brake calipers with machined lightweight billet pistons
- Mark Williams Enterprises lightweight cross-drilled rotors and CNC machined aircraft alloy aluminum brake hats with slot-drive rotor attachment system
- Lightweight racing overhung throttle pedal and mounting system
- Tilton aluminum brake pedal, balance bar and master cylinders
- Line lock and brake pressure switch
Fuel System/Steering
- ATL SFI-certified drag race fuel cell
- Aeromotive brushless racing pump with dual inline filter
- Flaming River 15:1 ratio manual steering rack
Options/Packages
- 18 exterior color options and three wrap/graphic options
- Lightweight Engine Component Package includes Blackbird performance front cover and external oil pump kit
- Rear anti-roll bar provides a softer rate bar, droplinks and arm kit
- Available Data Package includes Holley V300SD logger, suspension travel sensors, O2 sensors, transmission temp, transmission pressure
- Racetech Lightweight Carbon Seat Kit achieves an estimated 20 lbs. in weight savings
- Driveline Lightweight Package includes a carbon driveshaft, transmission sump pan, aluminum rear axle yoke to achieve an estimated 7 lbs. weight savings
Hustle Up and Reserve Your Order
The 2026 Dodge Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak by Direct Connection is for track use only and will be available at a starting U.S. manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $234,995 (pricing excludes taxes and fees).
The Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak will be race-prepared in Mooresville, North Carolina, by legendary race car builder Riley Technologies, which has a long history of collaborating with SRT on championship-winning race cars. The Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak will make its racing debut at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida, scheduled for March 5-8, 2026.
Customers can email support@dcperformance.com starting October 31 to be added to the wait-list to reserve a one of 50 Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak on a first-come, first-served basis. Full information on the Dodge Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak is available now at www.dodgegarage.com/drag-pak-experience/2026.
