Welcome to the 24th Annual Mopar Nationals! This year's theme is the Dodge Charger. And what better way to celebrate this great car than with the news that the Charger name will return to the Dodge lineup for 2006. The very name Charger brings to mind its dominating success in NASCAR, movies such as Bullet, Crazy Mary & Dirty Larry, and, of course, the General Lee in the Dukes of Hazard.
Every entered Charger participant will receive a special goody bag and reserved parking in the feature display area. We will be selecting one model from each year to showcase in the center of the display, with the remaining cars parked around the perimeter.
The Charger has always represented the pinnacle of performance at Chrysler. From its inception in 1966, the styling and performance have been unsurpassed in the market segment. The Charger nameplate was used from 1966 to 1978. Then it took a hiatus until 1982, when it was reintroduced on the L-Body Charger. It was again dropped in 1988 with the debut of the Shadow. While various performance packages were offered on Dodge models (ES, RT), the Daytona and Viper made their appearance, and the Charger name was sadly missing from the line up. Now with the return of RWD and the Hemi engine, it only made sense to bring back the Charger. But this tribute to the Dodge Charger is only a small part of what makes up the Mopar Nationals event this year.
The Mopar Nationals consists of Drag Racing, Judged Car Show, OE certification, Fun Field, the largest all-Mopar Swap Meet, the Mopar Manufacturer Midway, deals on Mopars in the Car Corral, Chrysler Concept Cars, and so on-all bundled into the premiere Mopar event of the year. While the Nats is often imitated, it has never been duplicated for sheer enjoyment and event fun. Priding itself as a family event, there is something for everyone. It's three action-packed days and nights of Mopar. Many view it as the Mopar version of Woodstock. all we know is the Chrysler heritage is alive and well and will be in Columbus, Ohio, the weekend of August 13-15 at National Trail Raceway.
Each year the Nats brings something new to the event. New for this year is the Year One F.A.S.T. class. This is for factory appearing stock race cars that are running in the low 11s on the OEM-style, original, bias-belted tires! This class, with its unbelievable low e.t's, is quite the crowd pleaser. We have expanded the show car, car club, and young gun parking areas and moved the Car Corral to a better location. We are bringing in special attractions and guests. Returning this year, the Young Guns judging and Drag Racing classes for those young Mopar enthusiasts (age 25 and under) and the Match Box Drag Race for children (age 10 and under). We supply the cars, and the kids will compete in a ladder-style elimination. after the race, the kids get to keep their car as a souvenir, and the winner(s) will receive special prizes. We will be sponsoring the Heath Cruise on Saturday night at Tri-County Chrysler again. Participants and spectators will get to see the all new '05 Chrysler 300C, Dodge Magnum, Grand Cherokee, Crossfire SRT-6, and a few other surprises. See the latest Mopar accessories, performance parts, and their updated road show. With 1,500 vendors, 50,000 die-hard enthusiasts, and a chance to win Hemi power, you won't want to miss the '04 Mopar Nationals.
We would be remiss if we did not mention the great sponsors who back this event. Through their support, they enable us to bring to you, the Mopar enthusiast, the ultimate Mopar event. This year a special thanks goes out to Mopar Performance, the Paddock, Monicatti Chrysler-Jeep, Year One, Malcom C-D-J, Flowmaster, Mopar Muscle, Trailer World, Mancini Racing, tti, South Oak Dodge, Jeg's, Fine Lines, and Mopar Action. Make sure you remember these fine companies when you need parts and service for your Mopar. they support you and the hobby.