Any kid who drove a fast/powerful car or truck in high school undoubtedly had to deal with teachers who had a problem with the vehicle in question and what revenge would be better to put those haters in their place by doing a smokey Mopar burnout on the front stoop of the school? For one kid who was lucky enough to be driving a 1970 Cuda powered by a 440 cubic inch big block – that dream became a reality.
During the school’s annual last day of school car show, the owner of this gorgeous 1970 Plymouth Barracuda drove (or perhaps the son of the owner) drove his big block Mopar muscle car to show it off and while there – he was able to back the Cuda up to the front doors of the school for a quick burnout. While I would imagine that the driver of this Cuda had permission to do this, I can only imagine how awesome it would have been to back my 340 Mirada up to the front doors of my high school and let’er rip – spraying rubber all over the front doors and filling the foyer with thick, white tire smoke. Unfortunately, I never got that chance but this kid did so in addition to getting to drive one gorgeous Mopar muscle car, this kid got to live a dream of every high schooler who drives a high performance car.
"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.
