We are sorry to report that Dodge is out of NHRA Pro Stock racing. Mopar chief, Pietro Gorlier, said Mopar will continue sponsoring Don Schumacher Racing and will be expanding their Sportsman presence, but will not continue with Pro Stock. For a season filled with drama both on the track, in the pits, and behind shop doors, the 2016 Pro Stock season seemed a rebirth of sorts for the professional class of NHRA racing. With the mandate to use electronic fuel injection and other changes meant to increase fan interest and decrease team costs for 2016, a lot of focus was back on Pro Stock (PS). Elite Motorsports, with drivers Erica Enders and Jeg Coughlin Jr., was Mopar’s main source for PS backing, with Allen Johnson being dropped from Mopar after the 2015 season, having been Mopar’s main Pro Stock sponsorship for 20 years. Deric Kramer, and later in the season Alan Prusiensky also ran Dodge Darts separately sponsored. V. Gaines started the season with Dodge, before retiring early in the season. Interestingly Johnson would end up with the most points and a win at the Mopar Mile-High Nationals, while Enders and Coughlin struggled the entire season, never getting into a final round. Johnson ended in the 8th spot, with Enders 9th and Coughlin in 10th place, in a season dominated by Jason Line and Greg Anderson in their Chevy Camaros.
Though Johnson, Kramer and Prusiensky are said to be in for 2017, without Mopar sponsorship it would appear the new season of PS would be a category of one car: Camaro.
Pro Stock is supposed to be the factory hot rod class, but the only factory involved will be Chevy, which is a real shame. Let’s see; Chevy, Ford and Chrysler all field fantastic V8 muscle cars, yet only Chevy will use PS as a platform to help market their Camaros. What do you think? Should PS make an even more-radical change to back-halved production bodies with factory blocks and limited rules, and then see what and who shows up, or will Pro Stock survive with a couple of Mopar privateers and a full field of mainly Camaros?
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