"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.
Motor mounts fall into that category of items that go bad on pretty much every modern vehicle from the Dodge Neon to the Dodge Ram 3500 but unlike some vehicles where fixing the motor mounts is as simple as unbolting the old mount and bolting up the new unit – the 2nd gen Neon relied […] More »
Last Wednesday we featured our first clip of a Dodge pickup in drifting action and while this week’s Truckin Fast Wednesday segment looks at another Dodge truck slipping and sliding around a closed circuit – this is certainly not the kind of truck that you would expect to see drifting. This clip of a 2nd […] More »
Do you have a 3rd generation Dodge Durango that is already making use of the check engine light? Having that annoying light checked out can be an expensive headache but if you locate a parts store that will pull codes for free – or if you buy a code reader of your own – you […] More »
This week’s Tire Shredding Tuesday clip looks at a Dodge Magnum R/T as it puts an old set of tires to rest before buying a new set. The Magnum is long gone from the Dodge lineup but this sinister looking station wagon offered some serious performance in its short time on Earth and with the […] More »
There was a point in time where removing the headlights from a large sport utility vehicle was as simple as removing a metal ring that ran around the outer edge of the large headlight lens but those days are long gone. In the 3rd generation Dodge Durango, removing the headlight housings entails removing the front […] More »
The 2015 Ford Mustang debuted last week with a new front end design that has stirred up quite a bit of controversy due to the departure of the popular retro styling. The Dodge Challenger is expected to receive a significant refresh in the next year or so (likely showing its face for the first time […] More »
This week’s Muddy Monday feature looks at a 1st generation Dodge Durango racing through a dirt course with an interesting Batman livery – although I have to think that Bruce Wayne would have a little nicer Durango if he did indeed drive a Dodge SUV. Don’t get me wrong – I love the bright yellow […] More »