HEMI Penalty and The Boycott Car
- Buddy Faulk
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
In 1972, NHRA implemented a weight-to-cubic-inch penalty to control engine dominance in the Pro Stock class. The “Weight Break” rule created separate weight-to-cubic-inch ratios based on engine type to balance the competition and encourage smaller engines and compact cars. The rule established a new base of 6.75 pounds per cubic inch for small-block engines and a higher 7.25 pounds per cubic inch for big-block engines. It was designed to address powerful engines like the Hemi, resulting in a 7.25-pound-per-cubic-inch weight penalty for Hemi-equipped cars, rather than the standard 7 pounds. For a 426 cubic inch engine, this translated into a 106-pound weight increase, making the Hemi cars significantly slower and less competitive. As a result of these new restrictions, Chrysler boycotted the Pro Stock class in 1974, focusing instead on Super Stock cars powered by Hemi engines, which were very competitive. During this one-year-only deal, Chrysler factory drivers ran in the Super Stock (S/S) class instead of the Pro Stock Class. Drivers like Ronnie Sox, Butch Leal, and Dick Landy competed in modified Hemi Super Stock vehicles, even though they were factory-backed teams running in a category generally considered for sportsman racers.
Dick Landy and his 1970 Dodge Challenger became known as the "Boycott Car". It had a 426 Hemi engine and a 4-speed manual transmission, allowing it in the Super Stock "D" class. The engine features modern updates, including dual 4-barrel Carter carburetors beneath a custom engine plate, an MSD 7AL ignition system, Hooker headers, and the factory-authorized Super Stock-legal Challenger T/A-style hood. The white/black/orange exterior colors gave the Challenger a very distinctive appearance. The black interior maintains the 1970 Challenger factory style, including a three-spoke factory steering wheel. A Hurst T-handle shifter, large-face tachometer, roll cage, and high-back bucket seat equipped with Simpson Racing belts.
Dick Landy raced this Challenger in 1974, winning the class title at the Gatornationals and setting a new SS/D record of 10.55 at the SportsNationals in Bowling Green, Kentucky. After its racing career, the car was restored by Dick Landy himself, the only one he personally restored. Today, the car still holds its original design and integrity, with the HEMI still running, a timeless piece of drag racing history.
In 2019, the car was added to the collection of Detroit Garage, McGrath Keen, after being successfully bid on at Mecum Harrisburg, PA.
After 50 years, the car returned to the Wally Parks NHRA Nostalgia Nationals at Beech Bend Raceway, Bowling Green, Kentucky, in June 2024.
Faulk’s Classic Car Repair and The Speed Shop had the opportunity to show the Boycott Car courtesy of Detroit Garage at the Jones County Cruisers Fall Car Show, September 2025, in Gray, Georgia. It was a day of genuine nostalgia, a sentimental longing for the past, filled with a mix of excitement, where Horsepower ruled and drivers with courage and inspiration inspired the future of Drag Racing—a lifetime memory for years to come.
Comments