Dodge Hustles Harder: First-Ever 2026 Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak Reignites Factory Rivalries

There’s a renewed sense of energy at Stellantis following recent leadership changes, and it comes as no surprise that Dodge is back in the headlines. The brand has just unveiled its latest factory-built race car—the 2026 Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak by Direct Connection—a supercharged Hemi-powered beast built for NHRA Factory Stock competition.

The return of the Drag Pak program marks a bold statement and a clear signal of Dodge’s vigorous commitment to internal combustion power, something many enthusiasts saw coming. It is also one of the first steps for the revived Street and Racing Technology (SRT) Performance brand under Tim Kuniskis, behind Ram’s reemergence in NASCAR Truck for 2026.

Getting right to it, the big question enthusiasts have been asking finally has an answer: Will the Hemi fit in the new Charger? Dodge just confirmed it with the debut of the 2026 Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak. Sure, the naysayers will point out that it’s a purpose-built race car, but that doesn’t matter because they got it in there. And that move alone will fuel plenty of conversation about the possibility of a street-bound version down the line. The next-generation Charger picks up right where the previous Drag Pak left off with 7-second potential and 170-plus-mph trap speeds. The all-new Charger platform has big shoes to fill; the outgoing Challenger-based Drag Pak won a pair of NHRA Factory Stock Showdown championships in its final two years of production.

The SRT team hasn’t shared exact performance numbers yet, but no one expects the new Drag Pak to be any slower. Under the hood, it retains the proven 354-cubic-inch supercharged Hemi topped with a Whipple 3.0L blower, bolted to an aluminum block and reinforced with a bulletproof rotating assembly built to handle serious abuse. For reference, the current NHRA Factory Stock Showdown record sits at 7.58 seconds, set by Mark Pawuk in 2023 behind the wheel of a 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Drag Pak. The speed record, meanwhile, belongs to the late Joe Welch, who blasted through the traps at 185.18 mph that same year. Those benchmarks likely won’t fall anytime soon as NHRA officials quickly reined in the combination with reduced supercharger rotor speed, effectively slowing the Drag Pak cars after their record-setting runs.

What Is Hustle Stuff?

We’ve seen a lot of monikers to describe Stellantis North America’s brands, most notable being the Mopar line of parts, which has consistently been part of the portfolio without wavering through ownership changes. Of course, Street and Race Technology (SRT) is a very familiar group in the modern Hemi space, and Dodge revived the Drag Pak title back in 2008 after a 40-year hiatus on factory-built race cars. The Direct Connection was revived shortly before the pandemic and has become associated with the company’s aftermarket performance components such as crate engines. Now, as the next generation of Drag Pak hits the drag strip, Dodge resurrected the Hustle Stuff nickname, bringing it back from the 1970s.

Hustle Stuff was the name of the Mopar performance parts catalog where enthusiasts could buy street and race components for their Dodge, Chrysler, and Plymouth muscle cars.

Dodge offers 18 exterior colors and three graphic packages. At press time, they called out B5 Blue, Frostbite, Go Mango, Plum Crazy, Sinamon Stick, and Sublime as optional colors. We used ChatGPT to convert a press image to a black paint hue with black graphic package.

2026 Dodge Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak At-A-Glance

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 coil-over 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, drop-links 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

The waitlist is already open, and Dodge told us the Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak pricing begins at $254,995 with optional equipment pushing that price higher. The vehicles are being built by Riley Technologies, and vehicles will be ready to kick off the NHRA 75th Anniversary tour at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida, scheduled for March 5–8, 2026.