Dodge Avenger Packs 2000 Horsepower, Traps 149 in the Eighth-mile

Dodge Avenger looks like one of the old NHRA Pro Stock cars, packing a bottled 440 with B1 heads.

When most people talk about a Dodge Avenger today, they are referring to the mid-sized sedan that shared a platform with the Chrysler 200, both of which have been discontinued. However, back in the 1990s, Dodge built the sleek Avenger coupe with help from Mitsubishi until it was replaced by the Stratus coupe, also with help from Mitsubishi.

The Dodge Avenger coupe wasn’t a bad car, but with front-wheel-drive and the optional 2.5-liter V6, they were not particularly quick. Fortunately, the aerodynamic properties of the Avenger led the NHRA Pro Stock teams to make drag racing variants with rear-drive and a monster V8. Over time, sportsman racers followed suit, building Avenger drag cars and the video above from the Guelph Racing YouTube channel features one of those machines.

Dodge Avenger Race Car

While the vehicle featured in the footage above has the body of a 1998 Dodge Avenger, we would wager that very few parts came from the factory on one of the road-going coupes. It appears to be a full tube chassis car with the shape and skin of an Avenger, but the important aspect of this machine is that it is Mopar-powered. Under the lift-off hood is a built big block which started off as a 440, but we imagine that it is considerably larger in volume at this point. We can see that it is topped with a set of Brodix B1 cylinder heads and we know that on all-motor, it makes around 1,200 horsepower.

On top of that basic power output, this Dodge race car has a two-stage nitrous oxide setup that piles on an extra 800 horsepower for a total output of around 2,000 horsepower. We don’t know what this car weighs, but we know that the modern NHRA Pro Stock cars have a minimum weight requirement of 2,350 pounds. That requirement was likely different back in the 1990s, but we would bet that this car still weighs well under 3,000 pounds with the driver.

Hitting the Track

This footage was captured at Toronto Motorsports Park, with the 2000 horsepower Dodge Avenger participating in the Super Street class of the Canada Heads Up Drag Racing Series. At the beginning of the video, we get to see the car make a few test hits with the timing boards shut off, so we don’t know what it runs, but it is clear that this Avenger gets down the track in a hurry.

After the aforementioned talk with the team in the garage area, we watch as the 1998 Dodge makes a few more passes, beginning with another no-time run against a mid-1980s Pontiac Grand Prix. Even with the back end dancing around the track, the Avenger appears to get the win before squaring off with a quicker, older Pontiac.

In the first race with what appears to be a LeMans, the Avenger gets out first, but the Pontiac runs a whole lot quicker, running the Dodge down to take the win. On this pass, the Mopar ran a 4.72 at 148.22 while the Pontiac ran a 4.40 at 167.3 to take the win.

Finally, the Avenger and the LeMans square off one more time and once again, the Dodge jumps out to an early lead. This time, the Pontiac has some troubles and has to lift, allowing the Mopar machine to cruise to a win with a 4.74 at 149 miles per hour.

Crank up your speakers and enjoy!

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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