Team Dodge runs strong in Charlotte, Iowa but claims no victories

This past weekend marked a unique stop at Charlotte Motor
Speedway for NASCAR as the Camping World Truck Series and the Sprint Cup Series
each took their turn on the superspeedway for NASCAR’s Sprint Cup All Star
Weekend while the Nationwide Series was in Iowa. The weekend started with the
Camping World Truck Series N. C. Education Lottery 200 on Friday, and ended
with the Nationwide Series Pioneer Hi-Bred 250 on Sunday while the Sprint Cup
drivers ran two short races on Saturday as part of the million dollar Sprint All
Star Race.

For Friday’s N. C. Education Lottery 200, 4 of the 36 trucks
in the field were Ram brand vehicles. 
Camping World regulars Parker Kilgerman, Jennifer Jo Cobb, and Clay
Greenfield qualified in the 14^th, 25^th and 33^rd
spots, respectively.  These three Ram
racers were joined by Sprint Cup driver Brand Keselowski who started in 9^th
place.  Greenfield ran into steering
issues just 6 laps into the race to finish last while Cobb finished in 26^th,
9 laps down.  Kilgerman’s drove his Mopar
sponsored race Ram to a 11^th place finish while Brad Keselowski was
the best finishing Ram, coming just short of winner Justin Loften en route to a
second place finish.  Kilgerman moved up
one spot in the standings to 5^th with his 11^th place
finish.

On Sunday, the NASCAR Nationwide Series took to Iowa Motor Speedway
for the Pioneer Hi-Bred 250 with just 2 Dodge Challenger stock cars in the 43
car field.  Parker Kilgerman filled in
for Brad Keselowski and started in the 10^th position in the #22
Discount Tire entry while Sam Hornish Jr sported the #12 Challenger sponsored
by Detroit Genuine Parts and started on the outside of row 1.  Both Kilgerman and Hornish were in the mix
all day but when the checked flag dropped, Kilgerman was in the 8^th
spot while Hornish was back in 12^th. 
Sam Hornish Jr. held onto his 4^th place position in the
season standings, 74 points behind series leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Finally, on Saturday the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers took to
the track for a pair of races beginning with the 40 lap Sprint Shootout.  The first and second finishers in this race
would earn the right to run in the 90 lap Sprint All Star Race along with the
20 top qualifiers and the “fan favorite” from the Sprint Shootout.  AJ Allmendinger started on the pole position
for the Sprint Shootout and while he lost a last lap battle with Dale Earnhardt
Jr, his second place finish was good enough to get him into the All Star Race.

In the Sprint All Star Race, AJ Allmendinger started in the
22^nd position after finishing second in the Sprint Showdown while Brad
Keselowski started in the 19^th position by virtue of his qualifying
time.  This year, the All Star Race was
comprised of four 20-lap segments and a 10-lap shootout after a mandatory pit
stop.  Prior to the 10-lap shootout, the
winner of each of the first four 20-lap segments were lined up in the front
four positions.  Brad Keselowski won the
third 20-lap segment in his #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger, setting him up to
battle for the win in the final 10 laps but in the end, Jimmie Johnson held
Keselowski off to win the million dollar All Star Race.

The Sprint Cup drivers are back in Charlotte this weekend
for the Coca Cola 600 and will be joined by the Nationwide Series cars in the
History 300.

Patrick Rall

"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.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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