The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) today announced an exciting new Factory X (FX) exhibition racing class for the 2022 season. Known as NHRA Factory X presented by Holley, the FX category will bridge the gap between Factory Stock Showdown and Pro Stock, and will be reserved for 2019 and newer manufactured automobiles, including the Chevrolet COPO Camaro, Dodge Challenger Drag Pak and Ford Mustang Cobra Jet.
The FX class will have a minimum weight limit of 2,650 pounds, which is nearly 1,000 pounds lighter than a Factory Stock Showdown car, and a manual transmission is mandatory. FX will be included in the 2022 season with Competition Eliminator across all seven NHRA Divisions and will debut as a 2022 exhibition category beginning mid-year at select NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series events, with the potential to showcase big performance numbers right off the bat in the lightweight, modified class.
“We’re extremely excited to debut this new and thrilling FX class in 2022 and our intention is this will become at a heads-up category at select NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series events in 2023 and will continue to be included in Competition Eliminator across all divisions,” NHRA National Tech Director Lonnie Grim said. “This class will be one more solid addition to the exciting lineup of very quick NHRA doorslammer classes and there is incredible potential in this class. The fact that it is manually shifted with strong performance capability and will allow fans to enjoy the sounds of 10,000 RPM will be a huge draw for fans and racers alike.”
The COPO Camaros will use the 630-horsepower Magnuson 2.65-L supercharger, while the DragPak Challengers will race with the 630-horsepower, 3.0-L Whipple. The Cobra Jet 327 Mustang’s engine combination will be a 610-horsepower, 3.0-L Whipple unit.
Each body must be OEM dimensional as well, meaning there can be no alterations to the bodies and each must feature steel roof and quarter body panels, while the chassis on the cars must meet 25.1, 25.2, 25.3 specifications.
FX cars must also race on tires that are 33 inches tall and 10.5 inches wide, which are wider than FSS cars, and open up the possibility for standout runs in the six-second range immediately during the 2022 exhibition season.
“This is something we’ve been working on for quite a while and we’re really excited for the debut of the FX class,” Grim said. “We’ve brought a lot of new technology into this class and it will be a 100 percent stock dimensional car. It’s going to be a really exciting class that embraces technology and affordability, and has huge potential from a performance standpoint. It should also be very exciting for the fans from the standpoint they can be in the stands and say, ‘Hey, I drove one of those to the racetrack today,’ and then watch one of these cars make a great run down the track.”
Other highlights for the FX class include:
- Doors must be functional and operable from inside and outside, and must be OEM dimension.
- The cars must be a complete stock appearing car including bumper covers, (front and rear) mandatory, consistent with make, model, year claimed.
- Each car must be equipped with a stock grille of same configuration and design for specific body used.
- Complete headlight and taillight assemblies must be retained in stock original Factory location.
The full set of rules for the FX class are now available by visiting nhraracer.com.
This story was originally published on November 11, 2021. 
