One of the most iconic names in all of drag racing history is not a driver, but rather a group of dedicated, innovative and hardworking individuals that formed a cohesive team. This “band of brothers” forever changed drag racing with technological advances. Known as the Ramchargers, their ingenuity and know-how, combined with the fact they were Chrysler engineers full of passion and a competitive spirit, scorched the drag strips across America during the early 1960s. Their record-setting performances in Max Wedge and HEMI® engine-powered Dodge vehicles – emblazoned in their eye-catching red-painted Candy Stripes over the hood, roof and decklid – were legendary. Their racing exploits wowed the fans every time the team’s colorful Super Stockers rolled into the pits. Drag racing has made major advancements over the past six decades through the never-ending innovations that can be linked back to what the Ramchargers had developed. Over time, the original Ramchargers team members would eventually disperse and work on other import assignments within Chrysler’s vast Highland Park engineering facility, but the die was set, and the Ramchargers name would be forever etched in the history books.
Today, the cars look different, the quarter-mile speeds and times are much faster, but the Ramchargers iconic name will once again ride a very fast Dodge. Instead of the early 1960s Max Wedge or HEMI engine-powered Dodge ‘330’ or ‘Coronet’ models, the Ramchargers logo will ride on AJ Berge’s seven-second 2021 Challenger Drag Pak. How the deal came together is an interesting tale that involves longtime Mopar® lover and fellow Drag Pak racer Mike Wagner. “While we competed in Stock and Superstock with our own vehicles, we kept a constant pulse on the Factory Stock Showdown class that has been brewing in recent years. Due to intense workloads and family obligations, we took most of the 2022 season off, but we always paid close attention to which Mopar racers were working hard, developing new parts and pushing the envelope on the current-generation Challenger Drag Paks. One racer really stood out and that was AJ Berge. His tuning skills and chassis expertise had a huge impact on the Drag Paks running out the Don Schumacher Racing camp,” noted Mike Wagner. Through a chance meeting while Berge’s Drag Pak was getting some updates at MR2 Performance in Lebanon, Indiana, the deal came about. The shop’s owner, Mike Roth, is not only a chassis and suspension guru whose cars have won four out of the last five NHRA Factory Stock Showdown titles, but he’s also a devotee of drag racing history and suggested the interested parties have a ‘sit down.’ We approached AJ (Berge) to see if he’d like to fly the iconic name and traditional Candy Stripes livery on his Drag Pak in 2023. We met again at the PRI show last December and discussed our proposal in detail, AJ’s enthusiasm was so overwhelming, we did the deal,” said Mike Wagner.
For AJ Berge, it’s like Christmas and his birthday all wrapped up in one. “To say I am excited is an understatement! I couldn’t be prouder to fly the Ramchargers iconic colors this season. Growing up, my dad used to share with me the stories of the old Mopar Super Stockers, and the factory racecars you could purchase right from the dealer. He told me about the Ramchargers racing team and how they dominated back in the day. The fact I get to be a part of the dynasty and carry on that legacy is just awesome,” said a jubilant Berge. “Now, I get to live my dreams and I can’t thank Mike and Lora Wagner enough for this opportunity! I can’t wait until we roll into Bradenton Motorsports Park the first weekend in March for the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod. The event will also include many Factory Stock Showdown contenders, like us, who will use this race to get their machines dialed-in for the NHRA Gatornationals the following weekend. We’ve teamed up with Ray Barton Racing Engines and for the last two-months have been working hard on our new engine combination. David Barton’s attention to detail and willingness to think out of the box to find untapped power has been instrumental in getting us to where we need to be. We’re loading up and ready to head south and get this season going!”
Berge’s Ramchargers Drag Pak will also have a new sponsor this year, Revolution Paradox, a custom automotive design and engineering company that builds everything from custom and imaginative vehicles to crate engines with no limits. “We are very happy to be a part of AJ Berge’s 2023 race program and a sponsor on his Challenger Drag Pak. AJ’s passion, work ethic and endless quest in developing and refining the modern HEMI platform to the powerhouse it’s become aligns perfectly with our engine program at Revolution Paradox,” said Ryan Petersen, Revolution Paradox CEO. “To be associated with the Ramchargers name and share the same space with them on AJ’s racecar is just awesome!”
Since the caretakers of the famous Ramchargers brand are Mike and Lora Wagner, it’s a dream come true for both of them. Mike is a self-described “Mopar addict” who has played with cars his whole life. In his early years, Wagner owned a Top Banana 440 Six Pack 1970 Challenger R/T (that he still owns today). As he got older, Mike’s career took off and he became a Senior Project Manager at a major corporation, and he got serious about drag racing. At first, he played around with Super Comp dragsters, but his love was always production-based cars that ran in the Stock and Super Stock classes. “Since I was really a Mopar guy with a collection of HEMI cars, I felt we should build a Super Stock Challenger. I acquired a Challenger prototype body then theflood gates were opened. We built the Motown Missile Tribute car as a Factory Super Stocker. I then convinced my lovely wife, Lora, that we should order a 2009 Drag Pak, we took delivery of car #39 from Roush to run Super Stock,” smiled Wagner. Since the 2009 Drag Paks were basically “rollers” and needed completion by the racers, Wagner contacted Mike Pustelny, a fellow racer and owner of MPR Race Cars, a chassis shop in Almont, Michigan. While checking on the build status of his Drag Pak, Pustelny asked Wagner if he would be interested in running the iconic Ramchargers name and Candy Stripes on his Drag Pak. After four seasons of campaigning the Ramchargers branded Drag Pak, a deal was struck for Wagner to purchase the trademark from Judge David Clabuesch who owned the rights for the name for many years. The judge had decided the time was right to sell the Ramchargers brand and let someone run with the name.
Always looking toward the future, Wagner wanted to keep the Ramchargers name front and center among the thousands of NHRA and NMCA racers and fans. “Since we’ve acquired the Ramchargers trademark, we’re growing the brand. This year is the 65th Anniversary of Ramchargers, we want to celebrate this by having a large Ramchargers reunion with the remaining team members combined with a Mopar Car show during the Woodward Dream Cruise at the M1 Concourse,” noted Wagner.
But with the planned Ramchargers Anniversary celebration not until August of this year, there are a lot of races to win and records to set between now and then. Berge is focused on doing just that. With a stout 2022 NHRA and NMCA season under his belt, he’s ready again to go full throttle. “The 2022 season was a rollercoaster of emotions for me. On one hand, I was having huge success over in NMCA making it to the finals back-to-back and winning the Norwalk race, but we struggled with the team cars. All things being equal, we shouldn’t have been in that situation. From parts shortages to chassis updates and so on, we just ran out of time to really figure out what was really going on. Running these cars in survival mode against all of these great teams isn’t a winning recipe,” noted Berge. But he’s put all that behind him and made a change not only in his race program, but also in his destiny as a business owner and competitor. “Truth be told, I was really happy with my role at DSR (Don Schumacher Racing) but towards the end of the season, things took a left turn. It was right before the PRI Show an opportunity came up to make some big changes here at my company, HEMITuner Performance. Now I’m partnered with Revolution Paradox and together we’re going to do some very impressive things within this aftermarket parts industry. My original plan was to scale back and run for a championship in NMCA with my own Drag Pak and with some help from my good friends. To my surprise, that opportunity expanded to include support on the racing side in NHRA; once word began to spread, the phone wouldn’t stop ringing,” commented Berge. Along with the new look, and with the help of car builder Mike Roth, AJ has made some electronics upgrades, chassis/suspension tweaks and interior upgrades, and moved some weight around to make his Drag Pak even faster. AJ knows all too well: the competition will be coming for him this year with both barrels loaded and he’ll be ready.
With a fresh outlook and new colors emblazoned on his very fast Drag Pak, AJ Berge will again be a major threat to anyone who’s paired up next to him during elimination. Although AJ doesn’t need any help in the horsepower department when conquering the quarter-mile, the spirit of the original Ramchargers will ride with him on every pass he makes!
Here are more pics of the iconic Ramchargers scheme on AJ’s Drag Pak.
Been a Ramchargers fan since that 1961 Dart. Long Island Mopar man, like me, is my guy.