The 2022 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show is a gearhead’s dream. It brings together parts manufacturers, racecar manufacturers, media outlets and other aspects of the billion-dollar-a-year business under the roof of massive Indiana Convention Center. Rows of performance products from superchargers to complete crate engines pushing over 1,000 horsepower lined the aisles. The motorsports sanctioning bodies attend PRI to grow their membership, acknowledge their 2022 championship-winning drivers and make major announcements for the upcoming season. One such proclamation came from the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) that could potentially change the look of drag racing forever. It was during the PRI Show we saw the next chapter in the evolution of the 2021 Challenger Drag Pak. The future of this limited-production, factory-built HEMI^® engine package car is looking good as its progression in the sport of drag racing heads to another era.

Meet Blackbird X, the first car built for NHRA’s new Factory X (FX) class that will be making its exhibition runs at select races in 2023. A brainchild of numerous O.E. manufacturers, NHRA officials and racers who love heads-up, “door slammer” racing with cars resembling current production vehicles. At first glance, Blackbird X looks like the Challenger Drag Paks currently running in the Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) class. But look closely, those Mickey Thompson slicks tucked under the rear quarter-panels are a bit wider and taller (10.5 inches X 33 inches on FX versus 9 inches X 30 inches on FSS), the car has a much-lowered aggressive stance due to the revised chassis set up, the mandatory 14-inch rear spoiler to keep the rear end planted at 200 mph stands out as does the aftermarket carbon fiber body components such as front fenders, bumper, hood, doors and other items. With a new class minimum weight of 2,650 pounds with driver, it’s almost 1,000 pounds lighter than the current Drag Paks running in FSS. There’s also more of a driver element with these new FX cars as NHRA has mandated the use of a five-speed manual trans and an eight-inch clutch for the class. The three-speed automatics currently used in all the FSS vehicles didn’t get the invite for FX and that’s fine, dumping the clutch and banging gears is much cooler. The biggest thing that doesn’t change is FX will use same engines in the FSS class. This means the mighty 354-cubic-inch HEMI engine with its 3.0-liter Whipple Supercharger that’s currently used in 2021 Challenger Drag Pak will power this new FX machine. And in keeping this class relevant to the fans in the stands, NHRA will limit the Factory X class to 2019 and newer manufactured automobiles that includes the Dodge Challenger, Chevy Camaro and Ford Mustang. Those hardcore drag racing devotees on the bleachers will not be disappointed as the estimated performance from the FX machines will be high-to-mid-six-second ETs at 200 mph right out of the gate and Blackbird X will be ready to do battle with them all.

The flight commander for Blackbird X is Geoff Turk. If you know Geoff and his dedication to drag racing, it was only natural he jumped on this new class right away. Back in March of 2018 at the NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem event in Bradenton, Florida, Geoff set the drag racing world on fire when he was the first one to take a class-legal car and smash the seven-second barrier in his 2015 Challenger Drag Pak, aptly named “Blackbird”. So, when NHRA announced the new Factory X class, Geoff was up to the challenge and wasted no time. He got with the guys at B&B Race Cars in Tennessee to build a new 2022 Challenger specifically for this category. Even though Geoff’s original “Blackbird” Drag Pak is still a major player in the FSS class, he chose not to cannibalize his famous Challenger and leave it alone. In keeping with the same theme that has made Geoff and his fast ride a celebrity among the Mopar_® crowd, he appropriately named the new car “Blackbird”. This machine has all the current technology for the FX class along with hyper-important safety items, including NHRA’s stringent chassis rules intended to protect the driver while providing much needed structural rigidness for the car’s frame and underpinnings.

While it was a two-week mad dash for Geoff and his team to get Blackbird X done in time for the PRI Show, the ear-to-ear grin on his face during the show was worth it. “I heard about this class in the rumor mill over a year ago that there was going to be this Factory X class. I was actually looking at building another car for another class. I was looking to go sixes in the quarter-mile, but the original Blackbird would not have gotten me there due to chassis and roll cage limitations, so I had to build a new car,” said Geoff. “I was looking at running Pro Mod, but my wife preferred I not do that because those cars are violent and unpredictable. Therefore, we focused on running another production type class. That’s what’s nice about Factory X as now we can use the engine R&D and technology we’ve gained and learned from running the supercharged HEMI in my Drag Pak and plug it into a more capable tube-chassis that’s similar to what the Pro Stockers use but with a body that will look exactly like a production car. That’s what’s cool about the Factory X class as it mandates a production steel roof skin and rear quarter panels.”

In getting ready for the PRI Show, Geoff and his crew had major challenges as they ventured into building an innovative car for something different. “The rules are brand new and we’re actually one of the first guys to build a car for this class. We had to make the carbon fiber body panels that match the production steel units. So, we had to buy production parts while building molds for the carbon fiber parts, so that took forever. We finally got pieces, but we honestly didn’t think we were going make the show. We came up with a plan and guys at B&B Race Cars busted their butts and here we are. The response from fans, fellow racers and the NHRA has been overwhelming. We can’t wait to go testing in the next few months and run this thing down the track!”

“This is something we’ve been working on for quite a while, and we’re really excited for the debut of the FX class. The new Factory X class came about from discussions with the OEMs as we all wanted a racecar platform that could support various weight target to support EV technology that might be four or five years away. But for the moment, the car competing in Factory X will be powered by the current supercharged V8 engines used in Factory Stock Showdown,” said Lonnie Grim, National Tech Director, NHRA. “We’ve brought a lot of new technology into this class, and it will be a 100% stock dimensional car. It’s going to be a really exciting class that embraces technology and affordability and has huge potential from a performance standpoint. It should also be very exciting for the fans from the standpoint they can be in the stands.”

Based on what we saw, we think Geoff’s Blackbird X Challenger will set a new course for the future of drag racing. We’re not sure when this 1,500-plus-horsepower machine will take flight, but DodgeGarage will be there to capture history!