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Dodge Viper Cup Series gets underway just as production peters out

Zach Bowman — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 19:31:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Dodge, Celebrities, Racing

2010 Dodge Viper ACR-X - Click above for high-res image gallery

The car universe isn't without its irony. For instance, it's something of a tragedy that just after the sun has officially set on the Dodge Viper, Chrysler finally manages to get the ball rolling on its Viper Cup. The race series will feature a total of 10 events held at five tracks across the country, starting this weekend. The rules are pretty simple: entrants must take to the field in more or less identical 2010 Viper ACR-X models. The winner walks away with $6,500 in cold hard cash, plus another $1,000 in Mopar Vouchers for parts and the like. Prizes trickle down from there.

Interestingly enough, the cable network Versus will be broadcasting each event in a 30-minute show format, so while the action won't be live, we'll still be able to enjoy it from the comfort of our air-conditioned living rooms. Dodge has also thrown in a few "celebrity" wildcards into the fray, including Shaun Bailey, the associate engineering editor at Road & Track, and Sergent Michael Kohn, of Olympic bobsled renown. Hey, we didn't say they were exactly A-listers, did we? Hit the jump for the press release.

Gallery: 2010 Dodge Viper ACR-X

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading Dodge Viper Cup Series gets underway just as production peters out

Dodge Viper Cup Series gets underway just as production peters out originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 19:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR at the track

Dan Roth — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 11:28:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Chrysler, Dodge

click above to view the video

The Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR is a racing machine, that's what the three letter suffix denotes (American Club Racer), of course. You don't even have to be within 100 feet of the Viper ACR to know what it is, that wing on the back clues you in. Somewhere, a 737 is missing an elevator flap. If you were to somehow miss the gigantic horizontal stabilizer, the ACR's paint scheme with its wicked-looking asymmetrical stripes announce what it is from a mile away.

The current Viper enjoys a reputation as a natural at the track, though it needs to be handled with a steady, heavy hand. The ACR strips a lot of equipment away in the name of weight savings, and some componentry is swapped out to bring unsprung mass down, as well. The result is a car with even sharper responses than the already born-to-run "regular" Viper. PentastarVideo has supplied us with a very entertaining video, apparently from Chrysler Design Veep Ralph Gilles, of some ACRs ripping it up at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, Louisiana. Here we sit, using a corporate high-speed internet connection to live vicariously through a heavily compressed piece of video media. Oh cruel world, why can't we just have a Viper and a road course at our disposal?

Follow the jump to watch the action

Gallery: 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR

Continue reading VIDEO: Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR at the track

VIDEO: Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR at the track originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Feb 2008 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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