"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
Although the SRT Viper saw an increase in sales in March 2014 to 67 units, sales have been slower than expected since the car was introduced in early 2013. Numbers peaked in June and July of 2013 with 97 and 94 units sold respectively and while the company didn’t expect to sell a thousand a […] More »
While we feature plenty of Cummins Ram trucks leaving the competition in a cloud of smoke on the drag strip, this week’s Black Friday feature offers a Cummins on Cummins battle with both beasts rolling coal the whole way down the track. This pair of 2nd gen Dodge Ram diesels obviously have some work done […] More »
Are you having a problem with your new Dodge Dart sedan that is causing the car to report diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) and while you are able to pull the code number, you are unable to figure out what it means? If so, today’s Tech Thread Spotlight should be a gold mine for solving any […] More »
The reason that many of us drive Dodge cars, trucks or sport utility vehicles is because they are top performers in their respective segment – and even the Dodge police cars are the fastest in their small segment. This week’s Mopar Muscle Thursday clip focuses on these high performance police cars, showing us clips from […] More »
The Dodge Dart is one of the most fuel efficient non-hybrid compact cars on the market today along with being the most fuel-friendly Chrysler Group vehicle ever with specific models offering an EPA estimated 41mpg on the highway. Of course, those fuel economy claims carry the familiar “actual results may vary”, so there is no […] More »
The Mopar Ram Runner package turns the Ram 1500 into one of the most capable offroad performance trucks ever – all with components designed by the automaker for superior fitment and performance. While the Ram Runner didn’t come with any big power-adding features aside from the basic cold air intake and cat back exhaust package, […] More »
A great many of the videos featured here on the DodgeForum.com front page should probably not be tried at home but this week’s Tire Shredding Tuesday clip featuring a pair of 2nd gen Dodge Ram 1500 pickups doing a head to head burnout deserves the disclaimer – do not try this at home. While nothing […] More »