Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge Celebrates 25 Years Of HEMI Horsepower At Indy

Some race cars don’t simply survive the passage of time. They become more interesting, more valuable, and somehow even more competitive.

The 1968 HEMI Plymouth Barracudas and Dodge Darts that compete in NHRA’s SS/AH category certainly fit that description. These cars have been hammering dragstrips for decades, but when they roll into Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park for the 2026 Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, they’ll be celebrating another major milestone.

The Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge will celebrate its 25th anniversary on Friday, September 4, during the 2026 NHRA U.S. Nationals.

NHRA’s longest-running specialty race has been part of the U.S. Nationals since 2001, bringing together some of the quickest HEMI-powered Super Stock machines in the country for one of Sportsman drag racing’s most recognizable races within a race.

The 1968 HEMI Package Cars Still Mean Business

There’s nothing ordinary about the cars that compete in the Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge.

The limited-production 1968 HEMI Plymouth Barracudas and HEMI Dodge Darts were purpose-built machines created to go drag racing. These factory Package Cars became forces in NHRA Super Stock competition and have spent more than five decades accumulating race wins, championships, and a massive following.

Today, the SS/AH racers competing with these cars are extracting levels of performance that would have been difficult to imagine when the machines were new. They still look unmistakably like products of drag racing’s muscle-car era, but decades of development have transformed what’s underneath them. The result is a class that combines history with serious heads-up racing.

That’s exactly what has made the Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge a fixture at Indy for 25 years.

Sox & Martin Legacy Remains At The Heart Of The Race

Few names are more closely tied to Chrysler’s drag racing history than Sox & Martin.

Ronnie Sox and Buddy Martin became synonymous with winning in Mopar machinery, and the team’s unmistakable cars remain some of the most recognizable machines from drag racing’s golden era. Buddy Martin will once again serve as Grand Marshall and Honorary Starter for the Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge, giving the 25th anniversary event a direct connection to the history it celebrates.

“I’m proud to be part of the Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge and its recognition of these hardworking Sportsman racers and their HEMI-powered Mopars. Ronnie (Sox) and I loved coming to the NHRA U.S. Nationals, and we won this prestigious race in Super Stock and Pro Stock many times,” said racing legend Buddy Martin, who will once again be the Grand Marshall and Honorary Starter. “With 2026 being the 25th anniversary of the Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge, it’s a great way to honor the legacy and contributions that both Ronnie (Sox) and I made to drag racing. This race also keeps the Sox & Martin legacy relevant among today’s racers and fans.”

That’s an important part of what makes the HEMI Challenge more than another specialty race. It isn’t simply displaying drag racing history. The competitors are keeping that history alive by racing these cars the way they were intended to be raced.

Herb McCandless Has Seen All 25 Years

Buddy Martin won’t be the only drag racing legend playing a prominent role at the anniversary event. Herb McCandless, the 1970 U.S. Nationals Pro Stock winner, has been part of virtually every Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge since its creation in 2001, providing his insight and colorful commentary on the SS/AH competitors.

McCandless will also serve as Grand Marshall at the 2026 event.

“I’m honored to once again be a part of the Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge. This is the 25th Anniversary of this prestigious event, and I’ve never missed one. I have great memories of this race, and I enjoy talking to all the participants. The SS/AH racers put on a great show with amazing ETs and speeds. What they’ve done with these Super Stockers is amazing. The modern technology developed for these cars while following the strict rules is incredible and it shows. Last year’s field was very close in qualifying and during eliminations, they were side-by-side all the way down the track!”

McCandless makes an important point about the evolution of these cars. The basic platform might date back to 1968, but the racers haven’t stopped learning. Finding performance while remaining inside a tightly controlled rules package has pushed teams to continually refine their combinations. That’s why these historic Mopars remain legitimate race cars rather than museum pieces.

Mike McCandless Pushes The HEMI Challenge Forward

Keeping a specialty race alive for a quarter-century requires more than nostalgia.

Mike McCandless, Herb McCandless’ youngest son and owner of the McCandless Collection, took over the reins of the Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge in 2024 and has worked to continue developing the event. The McCandless Collection itself is deeply connected to the same history celebrated by the HEMI Challenge. Its collection includes vintage Chrysler, Plymouth, and Dodge vehicles along with historic HEMI Super Stock and Pro Stock race cars and dealership signage dating back more than a century.

For McCandless, reaching the HEMI Challenge’s 25th anniversary is another step rather than a finish line.

“It’s an honor to have picked up the reins of this awesome event back in 2024 and take it to the next level. Now, we’ve reached a milestone on the Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge as 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of this historic race within a race, and we’re not done yet,” said Mike McCandless.

A Race Within The Biggest Race Of The Year

There’s also something fitting about celebrating the Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge’s 25th anniversary at the NHRA U.S. Nationals. Indy is where drag racing history carries a little extra weight. Winning the U.S. Nationals has always meant something different, and that same prestige has helped turn the HEMI Challenge into an event SS/AH racers want on their resumes.

The race also gives NHRA fans an opportunity to see cars representing one of the sport’s most important eras doing something much better than sitting still. They’re launching hard, racing heads-up, and chasing win lights. The technology has evolved. The elapsed times have dropped. The racers have found ways to make the cars quicker and more consistent.

But 25 years after the first HEMI Challenge, the recipe that makes the race special remains remarkably simple: put some of the quickest 1968 HEMI Barracudas and Dodge Darts in the country side-by-side and let them settle things on the dragstrip.

The 25th anniversary Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge is scheduled for Friday, September 4, 2026, as part of the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. With Buddy Martin and Herb McCandless serving as Grand Marshalls, the anniversary will bring together several generations of Mopar and NHRA history.