The History of Dodge Racing

Dodge, along with its Chrysler and Plymouth siblings, has been a major force in professional racing of all types. Dragsters powered by its Hemi engines have been some of the fastest in the history of the sport, and NASCAR stock cars based on the company's models have been driven by some the most successful drivers. Through both sponsorship and technology, Dodge has been an important sponsor of racing in nearly all its forms.

  1. Drag Racing

    • In the 1970s, the Chrysler Hemi engine -- which could be chosen by any buyer as an option at a local Dodge dealer -- ruled the professional drag strip. When "Big Daddy" Don Garlits returned from a catastrophic accident to win the NHRA and IHRA Winternationals, he did it in his Swamp Rat, a rear-engine Top Fuel car sponsored by Wynns and Dodge. Garlits dominated Top Fuel that year, but the Swamp Rat, with its fire-breathing Hemi positioned behind the driver was perhaps even more important: The rear-engine design would go on to become the standard in Top Fuel dragsters.

    NASCAR

    • Dodge has been involved with NASCAR racing for decades in various capacities, from developing race cars and technology to sponsoring races. The company became a presenting sponsor of the Dodge Weekly Series in 2002; the series, which was established in 1982, had been formerly known as the NASCAR Winston Racing Series. Dodge ended its sponsorship of the points series in 2007; Whelen Engineering replaced Dodge as presenting sponsor, and the series name was changed to the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.

    LeMans

    • The Dodge Viper was developed as something of an experiment -- an attempt to design and produce a vehicle at the highest standards of performance, but one that could also be inexpensive enough to make it in the consumer market. The Viper was never inexpensive, but it lived up to its performance goals. The V-10 Viper debuted in 1990, and within a decade the car had already won a LeMans-class victory, four FIA championships and the American LeMans championship. In 2000, the Viper GTS-R won the 24 Hours of LeMans race, along with another class championship and 10 American LeMans races.

    Other Circuits

    • In addition to its NASCAR and NHRA sponsorships, the Dodge Motorsports division continues to support racing in many different forms, as of 2011. The Dodge Motorsports/Hart and Huntington AMA Supercross Team represent the company in motorcycle racing. The Dodge Viper Cup is a racing series that showcases the Viper ACR-X in a 10-race road racing series. A Dodge team competes in the relatively new Formula DRIFT series, and the company's Ram trucks brand is the sponsor (and official vehicle brand) of the TORC off-road truck racing series.