This week’s Muddy Monday feature takes a look at a 3rd gen Dodge Dakota with a bed full of camping gear (and a kayak) working to pull a 1997-2003 Ford F150 out of the mud after flash flooding. It is clear that the Dakota at work here is nowhere near as muddy as most of the trucks shown on our Monday feature, but I don’t think that we need a whole lot of mud to appreciate watching a loaded down 3g Dakota pulling out a full size Ford pickup.
The description for this video is pretty vague, but it is clear that this 10th gen Ford F150 is in a sticky situation. From the ride height of this Ford, I am guessing that it is a 2WD model and it looks as though the flash flooding mentioned in the description has made the dirt road on which it is traveling too soft to traverse. Fortunately, this four wheel drive Dodge Dakota rolls up and it happy to lend a hand. This video shows a good deed being done by one truck owner onto another – but it also allows DFers a chance to enjoy watching Ford’s mighty F150 rely on a much smaller Dodge Dakota to free it from what looks to be some pretty minor mud.
"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.
