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Demon's NHRA competition ban: Good talking point, bad feature

One of the biggest headlines for the Dodge Challenger Demon is that, in stock form, it's so fast that the NHRA won't allow it to compete in the organization's events. It's the ultimate humble brag, "I can't drag race my car because it's so fast it was banned by the sanctioning body." Certainly Tim Kuniskis, head of FCA brands in North America, was excited. He told the press that he hugged the guy that brought him the letter banning the Demon from competition. Unfortunately, the reality is that not being NHRA-legal is kind of silly, and frustrating for owners who would want to actually race. Before we go too much farther, we should explain exactly why the Demon is illegal for NHRA competition. The car is capable of a sub-10-second quarter-mile time both on racing fuel and 91-octane pump gas. Cars that fast are required by the NHRA to have a full, certified roll cage, and the Demon doesn't. Now there are certainly ways to get around this. The most obvious would be for a Demon owner to have a company install a roll cage. Using less grippy tires than the barely street-legal Nitto cheater slicks would probably help bring that time down, too. There's also the option of putting the car into Eco mode, and, yes, the Demon has one. In Eco mode, the Demon makes just 500 horsepower, and trips the lights at the quarter-mile in 11.59 seconds, which will avoid the roll-cage requirement. However, none of these options are ideal. For one thing, if you bought an 840-horsepower car, you're not going to want to limit it when you get to a closed course such as a drag strip. Similarly, you're not going to want to ditch your super-sticky tires at the strip, especially when they're standard equipment. Finally, having to go aftermarket for a roll cage is an inconvenience at minimum, and it seems like a strange oversight considering the rest of the car. This is a car from the factory that comes with drag radials, no passenger seats, a racing fuel tune, air conditioned intercooler, and even skinny front wheels for drag racing. Its purpose is clear, but for some reason, Dodge stopped short of giving it a roll cage that would allow it to compete. Perhaps adding a roll cage would've made it difficult to pass safety regulations, and we would be more disappointed if the car wasn't allowed on the street. Even so, it seems like an odd stopping point.

2020 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak will debut at SEMA

Mopar fans have countless reasons to get hyped about the 2019 SEMA show. Speedkore is bringing a twin-turbocharged, all-wheel-drive Dodge Charger Hellcat Widebody, Mopar is bringing a done-up 1968 Dodge D200 "Lowliner," Ram is bringing a diesel 1500 overlander, and Jeep is bringing a custom off-road Wrangler. But the launch of the new 2020 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak might garner the most attention from the brand's most serious customers. Prior to the show, Mopar teased a photo and a short video clip, both showing a new Dodge Challenger from the overhead view. The white Challenger showed a wide blue stripe down the center of the car with two pinstripes along each side. "Powered by SRT" runs across the top of the windshield, and Mopar logos grace both sides of the car just beneath the side windows. Red decals run back from the rear quarter panels and connect across the rear of the car. It also has hood pins on the SRT Hellcat hood and a parachute attached the rear. There's a parachute because this is the factory turnkey drag-race-focused Dodge Challenger racecar. Mopar released no other information on what type of hardware the Drag Pak will be using, or what's under the hood, but the video gives a great preview of the exhaust note in full tire-smoke mode. As some Drag Paks in the past have dropped roughly 1,000 pounds from their production starter vehicles, the 2020 model will surely utilize plenty of weight-savings methods such as the removal of all interior comfort features that don't apply on the racetrack. Mopar has also previously altered the position of the engine and changed the wheelbase to the benefit of better weight distribution. Mopar is set to livestream the unveiling starting at 7:26 p.m. ET (that's 4:26 on the West Coast, which not coincidentally coincides the the displacement of the vintage 426 Hemi engine) on Nov. 5, 2019. Until then, check out the 2009, 2010, 2011, or 2016 Drag Paks.

FCA to recall nearly 900,000 vehicles that don't meet emissions standards

WASHINGTON — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will recall 862,520 gasoline-powered vehicles in the United States that do not meet U.S. emissions standards, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday. The recall was prompted by in-use emissions investigations conducted by the EPA and in-use testing conducted by Fiat Chrysler as required by U.S. regulations, the agency said. EPA said it will continue to investigate other Fiat Chrysler vehicles that are potentially noncompliant and may become the subject of future recalls. The recall includes 2011-2016 Dodge Journeys, 2011-2014 Chrysler 200s and Dodge Avengers, 2011-2012 Dodge Calibers and 2011-2016 Jeep Compass/Patriots. Fiat Chrysler said in a statement the EPA announcement "has no safety implications. Nor are there any associated fines." "The issue was discovered by FCA during routine in-use emissions testing and reported to the agency," the company said. "We began contacting affected customers last month to advise them of the needed repairs, which will be provided at no charge." Its U.S.-traded shares were down 1 percent. "EPA welcomes the action by Fiat Chrysler to voluntarily recall its vehicles that do not meet U.S. emissions standards," EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a statement. "We will provide assistance to consumers navigating the recall and continue to ensure that auto manufacturers abide by our nation's laws designed to protect human health and the environment." Fiat Chrysler owners can continue to drive their vehicles, the government said. Due to the "large number of vehicles involved and the need to supply replacement components — specifically to the vehicle's catalytic converter — this recall will be implemented in phases during the 2019," the EPA said In January, Fiat Chrysler agreed to a settlement worth about $800 million to resolve claims by the U.S. Justice Department and state of California that it used illegal software to produce false results on Ran and Jeep vehicles. But that incident involved diesel engines. It is awaiting the outcome of a criminal probe. The hefty penalty was the latest fallout from the U.S. government's stepped-up enforcement of vehicle emissions rules after Volkswagen AG admitted in September 2015 to intentionally evading emissions rules.