MReeves

Richard Petty teams with shopHEMI.com to power “The King’s” custom 2009 Dodge Challenger.



Martinsville, NC, November 1, 2009. Petty’s Garage, the winningest shop in NASCAR history, takes it to the street – by producing performance daily driver cars for the enthusiast market. Their first car out of the chute is a trademark Petty Blue 2009 Dodge Challenger, rebuilt from the ground up as a performance street car.

And where else would “The King” turn to for winning power than shopHEMI.com, home of Arrington engines? ShopHEMI.com supplied a late model 426 HEMI engine that boasts 585 bhp, along with an Arrington 90mm throttle body and Signature cold air intake. ShopHEMI.com engineers also developed a 3D computer model of the car that is being used for marketing and promotional materials associated with the car.

“We were excited to work with Petty’s Garage on this project,” said Eric Hruza, President of ShopHEMI.com, “especially in light of the charities that will be supported by the auction of this historic first-car production.”

The Petty Challenger will be sold by the Petty Family Foundation (PFF) at Barrett-Jackson. Proceeds of the sale will benefit the PFF and the charities it supports, including Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Victory Junction Gang.

“This Challenger is special to me because I wanted to build something that I would drive on a daily basis,” stated Petty. “I wanted the car to have a race car look, but be functional on the street and I think the guys really captured that. It definitely showcases our capabilities and the auction will put us in front of the right people to show what we can do.”

The Challenger was completely disassembled and placed on a rotisserie for painting. All of the suspension parts we refinished to Petty Parts Blue paint by BASF R – M. Reassembly included the 426 from shopHEMI.com, Pedders suspension upgrades, Brembo Gran Turismo brakes, a new Corsa Exhaust system with a Petty’s Garage custom center exhaust exit. Body Modifications consisted of a Petty’s Garage custom front fascia and rear bumper cover, custom rocker panels and branded interior seats and door panels.



The Petty’s Garage Challenger was on display at SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association, at the Las Vegas Convention Center from November 3-6.

Petty Enterprises garnered 268 wins, ten championships and nine Daytona 500 wins in what is now the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, with cars build at their facility in Level Cross NC. Petty’s Garage will now focus on manufacturing performance vehicles, including the “museum-quality” restoration of vintage racers, custom cars and high performance street machines.

ShopHEMI.com specializes in applying winning NASCAR racing technology to power your street car. Not only do they supply the hard-to-find MOPAR parts that you need, but you can also choose from exclusive "signature" performance parts developed by Arrington R&D. You can even spec your dream machine, and have shopHEMI.com build, tune and test it just for you. The Martinsville VA based company offers late model HEMI engines, producing up to 630 horsepower. Engines and parts are available at their e-commerce web site: www.shopHEMI.com