While a great many of our Mopar Muscle Thursday clips show heavily modified Mopar cars and trucks that look like they were built specifically for racing – this week we take a look at two very mild looking vintage Mopar muscle cars in action with a big block Dart in the far lane and a big block Plymouth Duster in the near lane. Shy of the engine size of each car, we don’t know what kind of modifications are done to each but it is clear from their quarter mile times that both the Dart and the Duster are far from stock.
After doing an awesome smokey burnout, the 440 Dart in the far lane gets away from the 383 Duster on the start and the vinyl-roof clad Dart held on through the top end for the win with an impressive run of 11.775 at 113.97 miles per hour while the Duster in the near lane ran 12.464 at 107.56 miles per hour. Those are both great times for cars that appear to be more show friendly than track-purposed and best of all – you have to love a car that will run high 11s with chrome Cragar rims and a vinyl top.
"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.
