Some of the greatest on-track contributions in drag racing history have come from the Plymouth division of the Chrysler Corporation. The company brought us iconic pony cars like the Challenger, the Superbird and of course, the Barracuda. And John Paulsen will be bringing just to the race track in 2015 as he takes a 1970 Barracuda to the Pro Mod battlefield in 2015 that’s packing Pat Musi horsepower with a couple of big Garrett Turbos that could be a player on any given Sunday.

The road to bring Paulsen’s Cuda to the track has been far from smooth. Like any project, there have been setbacks, and in this case, some pretty big ones. Originally the plan was to build a totally nasty twin-turbo steel body 1972 ‘Cuda, but there were some serious issues. Ultimately due to the fab work issues and other problems that car had to be sold, since it wouldn’t fit Paulsen’s needs.

“At this point I called a good friend of mine of over 20 years, Patrick Barnhill, and had a long talk with him. After our talk we decided that our future had a Pro Mod car in it,” said Paulsen on his choice to go racing at the elite level.

Being a Mopar-or-no-car kind of guy, the only logical choice for Paulsen was to pick up a ’70 ‘Cuda body from Larry Jeffers Race Cars. Since Jeffers is known in the Pro Mod world for building some of the best cars around, Paulsen commissioned Jeffers build the chassis as well while the body was being made. The car was finished and brought back to Ohio. But that wasn’t the final stop for the ‘Cuda and this build.

After meeting Carl Stevens Jr, owner of Xtreme Race Cars, Paulsen decided to let Stevens and his shop make the ‘Cuda into a rolling chassis. “Carl did a great job on the car doing the mock up for the engine and transmission. He also did the interior, suspension, and steering for us to speed up the process,” said Paulsen. At this point Paulsen’s own shop, Radical Race Cars, was finished and fully operational, so he took the reins to finish his hot rod up.

Having the best chassis in the world does no good if you don’t fill it with some worthy equipment and Paulsen has decided to go with some of the best in the business for his build. The heart of the ‘Cuda is a Pat Musi 540 cubic inch big block that will be fed boost from a pair of 88mm Garrett ball bearing turbos. Electronics onboard include a BigStuff 3 unit, MSD Mag System, Racepak Dash, and Speedwire switch panel with a fuse system. The rest of the driveline backing the Musi monster motor is a Performance Racing transmissions Turbo 400 with a Pro Torque converter. Tuning duties for the Cuda will be handled by Barnhill of PTP racing.

Helping put all of the power to the ground is a Driveshaft Shop unit and an Andy McCoy rear housing filled with a Strange center section. At all four corners are Strange carbon fiber brakes to help slow Paulsen and his ‘Cuda down after a 200-plus mph pass. Paulsen made the choice to use Penske struts and coilovers for dampening duties and help the ‘Cuda take a bite out of the track no matter what the conditions are like.

Right now the car is in the final stages of fabrication at Radical Race Cars and will be going to powdercoat, paint, and finally getting a slick wrap. “The goal is to have the car done by March and head south for testing. After that we plan on running some IHRA, NMCA, and PDRA races with the car,” said Paulsen about this year’s racing plans.

Variety is what makes drag racing so cool and Paulsen’s Pro Mod ‘Cuda is proof of this. His new machine has the parts and people involved to make it a tough contender at any race. Look for this nasty fish to make some big waves and go some rounds in 2015.