It has been an up and down season for NASCAR Dodge fans and
this past weekend in Texas is one that most Mopar lovers would likely forget.Between the two races in Texas this past
weekend with the Nationwide Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 on Saturday and the
Sprint Cup Samsung Mobile 500 on Sunday, there were 86 total cars qualified but
just four of them were Dodge products.
In Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300, Brad Keselowski and Sam
Hornish Jr were the only two drivers piloting Dodge Challengers and with
starting positions of 12th and 14th the teammates were
poised for another day of front running. Things went fairly well for Sam Hornish Jr as he rolled into an 11th
place finish in his #12 Wurth Challenger but for Keselowski, early engine
troubles dashed his hopes of winning and he was forced to finish 35th
– 41 laps off of the pace.Hornish now
sits in 4th place in the Nationwide season standings.
On Sunday, Keselowski and teammate AJ Allmendinger were the
only two drivers piloting Dodge Chargers with starting positions of 8th
and 12th.Allmendinger’s #22
Shell/Pennzoil Charger had handling issues all day but even with those
problems, he managed to finish a respectable 15th.However, for Brad Keselowski’s #2 Miller Lite
Charger, it was a much worse day.As has
been the case for Keselowski’s team several times this season, fuel delivery
issues forced him into the garage area – forcing him to settle for a 36th
place finish.This poor outing dropped
Keselowski to 15th in the season standings while Allmendinger moved
up one spot to 19th.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup heads to Kansas this weekend to be
joined by the Camping World Trucks.The
Nationwide teams have this weekend off.
"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.
It has been an up and down season for NASCAR Dodge fans and