History was made at the historic NHRA Winternationals as Mopar® racer John Winslow Junior drove his 2011 Viper V10 Challenger Drag Pak to Super Stock victory on the hallowed grounds of Pomona Raceway. Despite being in competition for 15 years and amassing numerous Super Stock class wins along the way, the 2011 V10 Drag Pak had never won a Super Stock Eliminator title at an NHRA National Event. But the drought was finally snapped. John marched through one of the toughest NHRA Super Stock fields to claim victory and park his black V10 Challenger Drag Pak in the Winternationals Winners Circle!
During the finals, John had dialed his Drag Pak running in the FSS/D (Factory Super Stock D) class with 8.99 ET to his opponent (Justin Lamb) Camaro’s 8.64 ET dial-in. John’s Drag Pak had the handicapped start with Lamb’s Camaro quickly on his heels. Luckily, John had been cutting excellent lights all weekend and had a great 0.035 reaction time to Lamb’s 0.037 light. At the stripe, John’s Drag Pak took the win with a mere 0.0014 seconds (approximately 4 inches) and received his first-ever NHRA “Wally” for his Super Stock victory.
“I couldn’t believe the win light came on as I knew I was driving well, and my Drag Pak was doing its job. My son Beau helped to dial in the car each run and we knew we had to be on our game against Justin (Lamb) in the final round,” said an exuberant John Winslow. “Justin is no doubt one of the best racers, so we had to thread the needle pretty tight to beat him. I was calm in the car and felt very comfortable driving it, and even if we had lost, being in the finals was quite an accomplishment for me. Every driver in Stock Eliminator and Super Stock is great, and no one can be taken lightly; it’s so hard to win. You have to drive well, have a consistent car, and have a little luck. When I saw the light come on, it just hit me. I had just won the NHRA Winternationals. I am not one to show emotions, but that one got me; so many years, so many rounds, going home on day one sometimes, miles and miles of travel.”
John’s 2011 Challenger Drag Pak is powered by a Viper V10 engine and is one of approximately 70 built. While most of the factory Drag Paks were equipped with GEN III HEMI® V8 engine, Mopar installed the Viper powerplant in 2011 as the competition was ramping up the horsepower on their COPO Camaros and Cobra Jet Mustangs. The 2011 Drag Pak was also the first “turnkey” ready-to-race version of this modern-day drag race-only “Package Car”, the last one was back in 1968 HEMI Barracuda and Dart. John’s Drag Pak was the fifth one built and was ordered in “Brilliant Black” rather than the more common “Bright White” color that many of the Drag Paks came in from the plant.
Being a longtime Mopar enthusiast and racer, John is no stranger to fast cars and doing battle on the quarter-mile. John was also a second-generation drag racer, and his father taught him well. He also knew the long hours and dedication it takes to compete in drag racing. “I did a lot of bracket racing in the ’90s, but I began to raise my family and they came first, so I was out for a few years. In 2004, my dad was running two cars and said I could drive his 1978 Volare Stocker,” said John.
“I raced that for two years, and then we got the Super Stock GT/TA Dakota pickup from Mopar racer Steve Wann. I used my 440 motor, which was a bad call, and I should have listened to Steve,” laughed John. “I blew it up a few times and then decided to let him build one his way; we still have the truck and will be running it this year with one or several of the boys driving it. Last year, Jared Jordan suggested I purchase his V10 Drag Pak as he wanted to run a 1964 Dodge Max Wedge Stocker. So he made me a deal on the Drag Pak, which I could not refuse. I had to explain to my wife Cindy how this would work, and once she was on board, it was game on. We are with a national event trophy eight months after my first race in the car. The goal is to have all three Super Stockers at the track simultaneously, which has proven harder for us than expected.”
The V10 Drag Pak might be an odd combination but keeping it tuned and ready to race is just like any traditional V8 racecar. “As far as parts and maintenance, it has not been too bad. Edgar Diaz, our shop mechanic, is super helpful and ensures the cars have everything they need whenever we go racing. He has been a big help, and I could not do it without him,” noted John. “Matt Deane, at Glendora Dodge, has also been a big help. To be honest, he has never told me ‘No’ when I asked for something. As far as racing the car, we leave on a trans brake, which is new for me. I launch the Drag Pak at 3,300 RPM and have found that leaving one tune-up in the car seems to work best. During the Winternationals, we had three dead-on runs during eliminations!”
John Winslow Junior and his family will let their recent Winternationals win sink in for a day or so before heading off to the NHRA Lucas Oil Division Race at the Strip in Las Vegas. After that, John with be competing at another NHRA Lucas Oil Division Race, this time in Woodburn, Oregon, where John debuted his newly acquired V10 Drag Pak he purchased from fellow Mopar racer Jared Jordan. “I couldn’t do this without the love and support of my family, so this win is for them!” said John.
Check out these two great videos of John’s V10 Challenger Drag Pak claiming Super Stock victory from the 2025 NHRA Winternationals!
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