Dodge is making its inaugural entry into Rally car racing, joining the Global RallyCross Championship (GRC) series with the all-new Dodge Dart and driver Travis Pastrana.

DODGE GLOBAL RALLYCROSS NEWS: Dodge is making its inaugural entry into Rally car racing, joining the Global RallyCross Championship (GRC) series with the all-new Dodge Dart. The GRC is a spin-off of the X Games rally races and is entering its second season. Dodge has partnered with Pastrana199 Racing to field the Dodge Dart entry in the season opener at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Travis Pastrana, a four-time Rally America Champion and 17-time X Games Gold Medalist, will pilot the Dodge Dart in Saturday night’s event. The 2012 Global Rallycross Championship series Dodge Dart is a custom built Dodge Dart specific for GRC competition. The engine: purpose-built, 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder, 16-valve, turbo-charged, 600-horsepower.

DODGE DART FAST FACTS: The all-new Dodge Dart will hit showroom floors in mid-June. The Dart is the first Chrysler Group vehicle built on Fiat Group architecture; it’s based off of the award-winning Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

DRIVER: Travis Pastrana No. 199 Red Bull/Discount Tire Dodge Dart. Birthdate: 11/26/1986. Hometown: Annapolis, Md. Crew Chief: Joel Christoffersson.
Career Rally Highlights: Four-time Rally America Champion (2006-2009). Two-time Rally gold medalist at Summer X Games (2006 & 2008). First-place Rally America, Olympus (2010). First-place Rally America, Snow Drift (2010). Rally America Overall Champion (2009). Career Racing Highlights: Five-time U.S. Amateur Motocross Champion. 17-time gold medalist in Summer X Games.

DODGE QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “I have done quite a few tests in my new Dodge Dart and have been beyond impressed with its performance. Its motor is exceptionally strong and handles better than I could have imagined. All that’s left to do is get out there and race the other competitors!” — Travis Pastrana, No. 199 Red Bull/Discount Tire Dodge Dart

DODGE QUOTES: “I’ve been patiently waiting to get behind the wheel of my Dodge Dart for months now! We started planning this project so long ago that I’m thrilled race day is almost here and I finally get to race the Dart. This year should be so much fun, especially with some of the races running in conjunction with my Nationwide races it’ll make the days all the more fun. I haven’t been this excited about racing in a long time.” — Travis Pastrana
“Travis Pastrana is a living example of what action sports activities are all about, so he fits in perfectly with the youthfulness and passion for performance of the Dodge brand.” — Ralph Gilles – CEO of the SRT Brand and Motorsports
“The new Dart Global Rallycross Championship car with 600 horsepower and driver Travis Pastrana takes our passion for performance to all new heights.” — Reid Bigland – President & CEO – Dodge Brand
“Motorsports is a continuous learning curve on the demands and effects that high-powered racing has on mechanical parts. Having a world-class Rallycross driver like Travis Pastrana behind the wheel of our GRC Dodge Dart is the perfect real-life test environment that will engage our engineering group to design and build high-performance parts that Street and Racing Technology customers expect in our vehicles.” — Dave Bailey – SRT Motorsports Engineering

Photo caption:

Travis Pastrana (Dodge Dart) pictured during practice prior to the season-opening GRC event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. © Harold Hinson/SRTM/ERC24