Direct Connection Showcases Big Muscle at SEMA 2025

The team from Direct Connection took advantage of the massive Mopar_® area at the 2025 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, including the debut of the new Dodge Charger Drag Pak, introducing the first upgrades for the new Dodge Charger SIXPACK, reintroducing a pair of HEMI^® crate engines and rolling out a Ram 1500 concept with classic Dodge performance roots.

Dodge Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak by Direct Connection

While those folks who buy a 2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK will likely be most interested in the Direct Connection upgrades for the Hurricane-powered production car that we’ll discuss in a minute, the biggest news from Mopar at the 2025 SEMA Show was the debut of the HEMI engine-powered Dodge Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak by Direct Connection. Back in the original muscle car era of the 1960s and 1970s, the Hustle Stuff catalog offered lightweight components for serious racers. This new Drag Pak – the first to be based on a Charger rather than a Challenger – features an array of lightweight items that help this new racecar weigh in about a hundred pounds lighter than the car that is currently in use in the NHRA Factory Stock Showdown class. These lightweight body parts include a carbon fiber hood, doors, front fascia and rear hatch; all of which counter the weight added with the race-duty and safety items needed for a car that covers the quarter-mile in the 7-second range.

The most crucial aspect of the new Dodge Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak by Direct Connection is what is under the hood. Unlike the current Charger SIXPACK production car, this new Drag Pak is powered by a similar engine to what motivates the current Dodge Challenger FSS cars – a 354-cubic-inch HEMI V8 topped by a 3.0-liter Whipple supercharger. The engine in this new Charger Drag Pak features a newly designed cast aluminum Gen III HEMI engine block with six-bolt billet steel main caps, an all-new race forged-steel eight-counterweight crankshaft, all-new high-performance forged H-beam connecting rods, a new lightweight billet belt tensioner and a long list of other components that help improve this new Drag Pak.

The Dodge Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak by Direct Connection will be available in 18 exterior colors with a few different graphics packages, so prospective racers will be able to customize the car a bit, but there will only be 50 examples of this new racecar produced. However, for those who buy them to go racing in the NHRA FSS ranks, Dodge is offering a $26,000 prize for the first Dodge Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak by Direct Connection to win an event.

Direct Connection HEMI Crate Engines are Back

Many people are excited to see how cleanly the 354 HEMI engine fits under the hood of the 2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK, but the new Drag Pak isn’t the only V8 news. Direct Connection has relaunched two of their most powerful HEMI crate engines – the A30 426 Hellephant HEMI and the 354 Supercharged Drag Pak HEMI.

The latest 354 Supercharged Drag Pak HEMI crate engine benefits from all of the new components mentioned above, offering the power needed to propel the 2026 Dodge Charger Drag Pak into the 7-second quarter-mile range. This crate engine will allow teams campaigning the new Drag Pak racecar to acquire extra engines, but it will also allow prospective Factory Stock Showdown racers to build a class spec machine from either a donor car or a body-in-white.

The other big Direct Connection news was the return of the 426 HEMI engine in the form of the Hellephant A30 426 Supercharged Crate HEMI Engine. This supercharged HEMI offers the same 1,000 horsepower and 950 lb-ft of torque as the previous Hellephant A30, but this monstrous V8 features a handful of new, stronger components. This begins with a newly designed Gen III aluminum HEMI engine block with select six-bolt main metal caps for added strength and precision CNC torque plate honed cylinders. The new A30 also comes with a new 4340 forged-steel, eight-counterweight crankshaft with gun drilled mains and lightened rod journals, new H-beam connecting rods with increased cross-sectional thickness for strength and ARP 2000 bolts, an upgraded IHI 3.0-liter supercharger and a new Litens lightweight billet supercharger belt tensioner – all of which come together to make a stronger thousand-horsepower HEMI engine.

Moparized Dodge Charger SIXPACK Concept

Swinging over to the road-going side of things, the 2025 SEMA Show brought us our first look at the Moparized 2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK Concept. This stunning Stryker Purple muscle car is fitted with a lightweight carbon fiber hood, front splitter and rear decklid spoiler – all of which will be available from Mopar in the coming months. There is also a set of concept vented fenders that release air pressure from the wheel wells while also adding a more muscular look.

The exterior also benefits from a Satin Black strobe-style graphics package, orange Brembo brake calipers and a set of custom 21-inch wheels in Brass Monkey.

The carbon fiber body bits do lower weight and improve aerodynamics, but they aren’t the only performance upgrades made to this 2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK concept. It also features a custom Mopar cold air intake and cat-back stainless-steel exhaust system for the 550-horsepower Hurricane I6 engine, along with a Mopar suspension system that lowers the car by an inch. This drop gives the concept a sportier stance, but it also improves cornering.

Capping off the Moparized Dodge SIXPACK Charger Concept is a cockpit that showcases Katzkin premium leather seats with contrasting Tuscany Ink (black) and Palomino (tan) surfaces, along with orange and purple stitching, Mopar pedal covers and all-weather floor mats.

Mopar Parts for the Charger SIXPACK

As mentioned above, many of the components of the Moparized 2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK Concept will be available from Mopar very soon, with some being available for ordering now.

Right now, anyone ordering a 2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK can order the exterior graphics, the bright pedal covers or the floor mats. The strobe-style bodyside graphics in either matte black or gloss red. This stripe kit is available for 2- and 4-door models, and regardless of the color or model, these have an MSRP of $495. The bright pedal covers are $150, the all-weather mat kit for the interior is $170 and the trunk mat is $125.

The next item coming to the Mopar catalog (expected to be available before the end of the 2025 calendar year) is the performance cat-back exhaust system with a price of $3,950. This stainless steel exhaust setup provides a heartier sound while also providing better airflow for improved engine performance.

When we get into 2026, the carbon fiber front splitter and rear decklid spoiler are expected to go on sale, along with the cold air intake kit. The carbon fiber front splitter and rear spoiler each carry an MSRP of $2,450, while the cold air intake kit costs $895.

Finally, the carbon fiber hood and suspension kit from the  Moparized 2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK Concept are expected to go on sale in the spring of 2026. The hood will carry an MSRP of $6,995 while the suspension kit is just $395 – which should make it a popular choice for new Charger buyers.

The Dude Returns

The last bit of exciting Dodge news from SEMA 2025 actually came from the Ram Trucks brand, with the debut of The Dude Ram 1500 Concept. The Dodge Dude was first introduced for the 1970 model year with a host of performance-minded features, effectively creating the first-ever sport truck. The new The Dude Ram 1500 Concept pays tribute to that classic nameplate while also celebrating the return of the HEMI V8 to the Ram 1500 lineup.

The Dude Ram 1500 Concept is based on the HEMI engine-powered Big Horn package, but it is fitted with the sportier front fascia from the current Tungsten models. That factory fascia is combined with a custom chin spoiler and a set of side skirts that give the truck a much more aggressive stance, with help from the custom 22×10-inch wheels.

The exterior is finished in Sublime Green with a black C-stripe on the sides that is very similar to the striping on the original Dude trucks of the ’70s, including a modern “The Dude” logo. There is also a blackout applique on the tailgate, unique black graphics on the hood and more black trim on the mirrors and roof.

In terms of performance, The Dude Ram 1500 Concept has a lowered suspension setup for improved handling, and the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 is fitted with a Mopar cold air intake and a unique side-exit exhaust system.

The inside of The Dude Ram 1500 Concept showcases custom Alea leather seating surfaces in black with bright green stitching along with a matching black-and-green center console cover. The right side of the dashboard is a custom instrument panel badge with The Dude logo in bright green, similar to the custom panel badges that Dodge used on past special-edition Challengers and Chargers. The cabin also features an in-console safe, an accessory rail atop of the dashboard and all-weather floormats.