This week’s Black Friday feature looks at a heavily modified 2005 Dodge Ram powered by the mighty Cummins Turbo Diesel in action on an 8th mile drag strip in California. This video was shot at a “Dodge versus the world” drag racing event so we don’t just get to watch this super fast Ram Heavy Duty beat one truck – we get to see it beat a bunch of trucks and beat them badly. While this silver Ram is fairly mild in its appearance, the second that the green light drops we see that this is one seriously fast truck.
The video starts off with the 2005 Dodge Ram quad cab racing a regular cab Chevy pickup and the result is a severe beating by the Ram as it ran an impressive 6.96 at 104.92 miles per hour. A rough conversion chart shows that a 6.96 8th mile run would be in the range of 10.84. Next in line is a Ford Super Duty but even though the Ford redlights and gets a big jump on the Ram, CTD power prevails as the feature vehicle runs a 6.84 at 104.4 even with a touch of wheel spin at launch. The third race brings about a Dodge versus Dodge battle but the red Ram in the near lane was no match for the silver truck that ran another 6.85. The fourth run of the video pairs the hero vehicle against another Super Duty with another 6.84 run bringing about a serious beating for the Ford and the final video appeared to be a bracket race between the CTD Ram and what looks to be an early 80s Chevy truck.
Aside from the fact that this 2005 Dodge Ram Cummins Turbo Diesel beats up on a bunch of other trucks in this video, the more impressive fact is just how quickly this truck gets through the eighth mile. With times in the 6.84 range, this truck would be very capable of getting into the mid 10 seconds range in the quarter mile. That’s smokin’ fast.
"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.
