The NHRA 4Wide Nationals is ready to take over zMAX Dragway this weekend and make some noise among the rolling hills of Concord, North Carolina. Located just outside Charlotte, zMAX Dragway is in the heart of NASCAR country and just a stone’s throw from Charlotte Motor Speedway. Both facilities are owned by the same family and provide fans with a great experience. For zMAX Dragway, many racers call it “The Bellagio of Dragstrips” because of its wonderful amenities. The Challenger Drag Pak racers competing in the Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown, the four-wide racing format can provide some challenges for both the drivers of these seven-second machines and the crew chiefs that tune these 1,500-plus-horsepower beasts that have to keep it in the groove down the quarter-mile on nine-inch-wide slicks. 

“I am looking forward to getting the Save Our Allies Dodge Challenger Drag Pak back on the track this weekend. Charlotte is a great facility and racing four-wide is a unique opportunity. The fans love to see Dodges, Chevys and Fords all battling it out and I feel like we have a great chance of going a lot of rounds on Sunday. We had a great first event at the Gatornationals and we have been working on getting even faster for Charlotte,” said David Davies III. His sinister Pitch Black Drag Pak has found its mojo and will be a serious player this weekend. With some new crew members and a renewed focus, we expect Davies to be in the winner’s circle in no time. The supercharged HEMI^® engine that powers Davies’ Drag Pak has been dialed-in and with suspension updates from the team at Wesley Motorsports, Davies is well on his way to snagging his first NHRA Factory Stock Showdown victory. 

Another Dodge Factory Stock Showdown racer itching to suit up and strap into his Empaco Equipment-sponsored Challenger Drag Pak is Mark Pawuk. A veteran of the Pro Stock class, Mark Pawuk jumped back into racing and has been running the Factory Stock Showdown class for the last few years. Last year at the Charlotte NHRA 4Wide National, it was the first time in Pawuk’s illustrious racing career competing in a four-wide format. For an experienced driver, four-wide drag racing can still be very tricky. “I have to be super-focused on not just one, but two Christmas Trees and concentrated on staging. It can be mentally challenging if you aren’t paying attention to the specific Christmas Tree in your lane. It can go from zero stage lights to three in an instant and that can affect everything on the starting line. If you aren’t paying attention, you can easily ‘Time Out’ easily or go red. I just make sure to focus on the lane I’m in and always keep that in my mind,” noted Pawuk. Like many of the other Drag Pak racers, 2023 has seen a change in crew chiefs. “I’m looking forward to a good weekend of racing. The team has been working very hard on the Drag Pak and will continue to look for improvements in our engine development program.” 

While Davies and Pawuk have run the NHRA Charlotte 4Wide Nationals, this will be AJ Berge’s first time as a driver. Last year at this race, he and Kevin Helms were the crew chiefs on the Drag Paks of Davies, Pawuk and Walcher. Berge had the responsibility of determining which of the four lanes had the best conditions to get these high-horsepower machines down the track without lighting the rear slicks up in an apocalyptic mushroom cloud of smoke. Now, he’s behind the wheel of his Ramchargers/Revolution Paradox Drag Pak and will not only have to concentrate on the tune-up, but also staging in the four-wide layout that can easily throw off a driver’s laser-like concentration. 

“The fact there are three other cars you’re dealing with does make it tough. Each driver has their own personality and unique staging techniques rolling into the beams. Some guys like to roll right in while others like to stage last. Regardless, there are always games being played on the starting line. I’ll just tune everyone out and do what I always do and that focuses on what I have going on and race my own race. I just came back from spending a week at Whipple Superchargers and got some great one-on-one training on the proper servicing procedures of these intricate superchargers. It was an awesome tech clinic and what I’ve learned will be applied to not only my Mopar_® but also the Drag Paks of Mark Pawuk and David Davies III. Both David Barton and I will be assisting other Challenger racers during the NHRA Charlotte 4Wide Nationals. I will tell you, after winning the NMCA season opener in Orlando back in March, we were set to hit the NMCA Rockingham race earlier this month, but our Ram Dually Pickup was in the body shop. So, I’m very pumped to hit zMAX Dragway with my Drag Pak and see what it’ll run!” 

So, if you want to see Challenger Drag Paks, COPO Camaros and Cobra Jet Mustangs battling it out in a four-lane drag race, check out the action from zMAX Dragway this weekend. It’ll be a dogfight to the very end, but when the smoke clears, we’re hopeful the mighty HEMI engine-powered vehicle will reign supreme over the competition. 

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