by David Hakim
Two-time NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown World Champion Mark “The Cowboy” Pawuk was tasked with running the 2026 Dodge Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak at the recent AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. In a true baptism by fire, the Charger Drag Pak faced a tough crowd of competitors.
With Factory Stock Showdown becoming a sort of steel-cage death match of gladiators driving COPO Camaros, Cobra Jet Mustangs and Mopar Drag Paks, competitors must arrive armed with plenty of horsepower and ready to chop the Christmas Tree down. While it wasn’t the result Pawuk was looking for, he’s not done, not by a long shot.
With any new car, there’s a teething period, and since the modern Charger is very different from the dated Challenger it replaced, it needs old-fashioned dialing in before laying down strong numbers.
Since the last Challenger Drag Pak was built in 2021, and production of the street Challenger ended after the 2023 model year, Dodge wanted to get back in the game. The corporation has had a long tradition dating back to 1964 of building limited-production turnkey HEMI “package cars” for Sportsman racers.
They’ve maintained a storied history for more than six decades and continue competing today in the NHRA.
Working hand in hand with SRT and Direct Connection, Mopar’s performance division responsible for high-performance parts and the last Challenger Drag Pak program, Dodge engineers were given a new assignment: create a turnkey race car based on the current 2026 Charger platform.
After making its debut in late 2025, with former NHRA Stock Eliminator champion Kevin Helms making exhibition runs at The Strip in Las Vegas, the time finally came to turn on the scoreboards and show what the Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak could do in competition. For those curious about the Hustle Stuff name, it references the Chrysler Performance Parts branding used in 1970-71, three years before the launch of the Direct Connection marque.
For former Pro Stock racer and reigning two-time Factory Stock Showdown World Champion Pawuk, he was the logical choice to debut the Charger Drag Pak in competition at NHRA’s season-opening event. Pawuk has worked with Ray Barton Racing Engines, and his team has a proven track record of getting a 1,500-plus-horsepower car on nine-inch tires down any track.
Late last year, Pawuk held discussions with Dodge and Direct Connection officials about campaigning the new Charger Drag Pak during the 2026 season.
“I felt that we would be the perfect team to run the new car. After bringing Dodge two world championships, we have a really good program. We ran it up the ladder, and Dodge agreed to it, and that’s what started the whole ball rolling,” Pawuk said.
The team loaded the Mule Charger Drag Pak and headed south for intensive testing to shake down the new platform. Bradenton Motorsports Park provided the initial baseline, followed by runs at South Georgia Motorsports Park and additional testing at Gainesville Raceway before the Gatornationals.
Pawuk’s mission was to sort out the new car, which had not been raced since the previous fall.
“We made about 20 runs with the stock engine and tried different things,” Pawuk said. The Bradenton surface is known for traction, yet the team struggled to get the car where it needed to be.
By the time testing moved to Gainesville, improvements to the chassis setup resulted in better 60-foot times.
“We swapped to a Barton-built class-legal HEMI, and everybody worked their butts off, including the folks from Riley Motorsports who are building the new Charger Drag Pak for Dodge,” Pawuk said. “The whole crew pitched in, and it was a collaborative effort.”
When asked how the Charger compares to the Challenger from a driver’s perspective, Pawuk noted the longer wheelbase improved stability.
“Due to its long wheelbase, the new Charger Drag Pak handles well and goes straight, especially in high gear. Other than that, there’s not much difference from my Challenger,” he said.
While the 2021 Challenger Drag Pak served as a template, significant revisions were made to the rear suspension and axle assembly. The new car also features updated data-logging capabilities, an optional carbon-fiber driveshaft and additional performance refinements.
Although aerodynamic figures have not been disclosed, the Charger’s redesigned front fascia appears sleeker than its predecessor.
Despite a determined qualifying effort at Gainesville, Pawuk lost in the opening round to Jonathan Allegrucci’s Cobra Jet Mustang. Pawuk ran 7.964 seconds, 170.47 mph, which was not enough to beat Allegrucci’s 7.747 seconds, 178.21 mph.
“We struggled all weekend, but we learned a lot about what the new Drag Pak likes and doesn’t,” Pawuk said. “The current combination is close and just needs to be finessed.”
The team plans additional testing before the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway. Pawuk believes the performance potential remains largely untapped.
“We know there’s a lot more in the car, and we’re just scratching the surface,” he said.
The feedback gathered from Pawuk’s extensive testing program is expected to benefit the limited production run of 50 Charger Drag Pak units scheduled to be assembled by Riley Technologies in Mooresville, North Carolina.
While some might see it as a minor setback for the two-time NHRA FSS World Champ, Pawuk takes it in stride. It’ll motivate him even more to work harder and continue his quest for a threepeat of the highly coveted Flexjet NHRA FSS World Championship. For now, the focus for Mark ‘The Cowboy’ Pawuk is going rounds and winning races, regardless of what horse he’s riding
While some observers may view the Gatornationals result as a minor setback, Pawuk sees it as motivation. The veteran racer remains focused on contending for a third consecutive Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown world title.
For now, Pawuk’s priority is simple: win rounds and races, regardless of what machine he’s driving.
