Dodge Ram SRT-10 to Pace Daytona Truck Race!!!

*Holds Guinness World Record for Fastest Truck

*Dodge to Deliver 50 Pace Truck Replicas to New Owners at Daytona

*NASCAR Stars to Take Delivery of First Production Units in Special Ceremony

*Ram SRT-10 Thrill Rides Offered to Fans at Dodge City

Auburn Hills, Mich., Feb 05, 2004 -The new Viper-powered Dodge Ram SRT-10 will pace the field for this year's season-opening Florida Dodge Dealers 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

The fastest, most powerful production pickup ever, the Dodge Ram SRT-10 incorporates the 500-horsepower, 505-cubic-inch aluminum V-10 engine from the America's ultimate sports car -- the Dodge Viper SRT-10.

The Dodge Ram SRT-10 will have no problem meeting the performance requirements of pace-truck duty. Earlier this week, Nextel Cup Rookie of the Year contender Brendan Gaughn averaged 154.587 mph over two opposite-direction "flying kilometers," setting a Guinness World Record for the Fastest Production Pickup Truck.

The record was set on DaimlerChrysler's Chelsea (Mich.) Proving Grounds' 4.71-mile high-speed oval.

A limited number of Dodge Ram SRT-10 Pace Truck replicas were built to mark the occasion. A total of 50 trucks will be sold to current owners of the Dodge Viper SRT-10 incorporating Pace Truck design cues such as the electric blue paint scheme with bold white stripes, embroidered SRT logo on floor mats, Viper Club of America exterior logos and a commemorative dash plaque with serial number.

Those vehicles and 50 more Dodge Ram SRT-10s, representing early volume production units, will no doubt create a traffic jam of gawkers as they're driven by owners and Dodge Dealers from the Daytona International Speedway infield in a parade of performance superlatives.

Among those owners will be several NASCAR drivers and team owners who have been among the early admirers of the ultimate muscle truck.

Details about a special delivery ceremony photo opportunity including NASCAR drivers and the Dodge Ram SRT-10 will be released shortly.

Dodge Ram SRT-10

The Dodge Ram SRT-10 is the third Dodge vehicle branded with the Street and Racing Technology label, following the Dodge Viper SRT-10 -- the ultimate American sports car -- and the award-winning 230 horsepower Dodge SRT-4, that has taken the sport compact "tuner" crowd by storm.

“With the Ram SRT-10, our engineers set out to create the fastest, most powerful production pickup ever – the ultimate Dodge Ram,” said Wolfgang Bernhard, Chief Operating Officer–Chrysler Group. “The goal with SRT models is to out muscle everything in our class through superior engineering and by drawing on our engineers’ vast motorsports experience.

Wide, chiseled and masculine, the boldest and baddest pickup on the planet looks like it means business, and it does. The Dodge Ram SRT-10 was designed with the Dodge tradition of producing powerful trucks with a strong sense of style. The Dodge Ram SRT-10’s taut features were sculpted courtesy of DaimlerChrysler’s wind tunnel and with a subtle nod to the Dodge Ram NASCAR truck series entry.

“Our theme was to add muscle, not flash,” said Trevor M. Creed, Senior Vice President-Design, Chrysler Group. “To cope with the performance of the Ram SRT-10, we spent a lot of time in the Chrysler Group’s wind tunnel. That is why you see a deep front fascia with a splitter and a subtle rear wing. In fact, the lift values for this vehicle are that of a sports car, not a truck.

“The fact that the Ram SRT-10 bears a close resemblance to our NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series entry is not just a coincidence,” said Dan Knott, Director–Street and Racing Technology (SRT). “The same aerodynamicist who worked on our NASCAR entries handled the aerodynamics for the Ram SRT-10. The challenges posed by racing are the same we experienced with the Ram SRT-10; speeds in excess of 150 mph, cooling for the brakes and engine, and the need to create front and rear downforce.

"When it came to creating a 150 mph Dodge Ram SRT pickup, only the best would do," added Knott. "We took the best parts available, a Viper V-10, a Dodge Ram 1500 chassis and body, Hurst shift linkage, and a Dana 60 rear axle. Pirelli tires, Bilstein shocks, a custom designed power hop damper and the braking system from the Ram Heavy Duty ensure that we can get the Ram SRT-10 slowed down for the corners."

More than just a big engine, Ram SRT-10 adds the largest standard wheels, tires and brakes offered on a production pickup. Unique in a world of look-alike trucks, the Ram SRT-10 is a radical, custom-built performance truck, straight from a manufacturer. The Dodge Ram SRT-10 blends performance cues direct from the Dodge Viper SRT-10, the ultimate sports car and the baddest pickup on the market, the Dodge Ram.

Thrill Rides

Race fans and performance car enthusiasts can get a first-hand taste of the Dodge Ram SRT-10's pavement-ripping performance.

Wednesday through Sunday, Feb. 11-15, Dodge City will feature Ram SRT-10 Thrill Rides.

With veteran Skip Barber Racing School instructors at the wheel, fans can take a tire-smoking Thrill Ride in the ultimate pickup truck. Rides are free of charge.

Dodge City is located directly across International Speedway Boulevard from the Daytona International Speedway.

Source: DaimlerChrysler Media

redriderbob

 

WOW!! I can't wait to watch that on TV!

~Amanda

 

Well hopefully Speed Channel will show the owners driving their trucks around for a parade lap before the race, when they recieve their Ram SRT-10's... remember the race in this Friday... on Speed Channel!

redriderbob