This week’s Muddy Monday video features a second generation Dodge Ram – or at least the body of a 2nd gen Dodge Ram – participating in some very serious mudding action at Shiloh Ridge in Alto Texas. There is no information on this Ram, but it is clear just by looking at it that very few parts below the body came from the factory. This Dodge is diesel powered so I am guessing that a heavily built Cummins Turbo Diesel is proving the motivation as this beast digs its way through the mud.
As the run begins and this 2g Dodge Ram HD blasts down into the pit and through the first stretch of mud, it looks like it will effortlessly cruise from one side of the pit to the other. However, as the Ram gets about halfway through the mud, it begins to get really deep and the Dodge slows a bit, as the Cummins diesel engine gets to work. The last part of the run was slower, but this Ram monster truck makes it to the other side – leaving a cloud of diesel smoke in its wake.
"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.
