This past weekend, SRT Motorsports (formerly Dodge
Motorsports) used the NASCAR stop in Las Vegas to unveil the 2013 Dodge Charger
Sprint Cup car.Thanks to the lighter
restrictions on race car body design by NASCAR, the SRT team was able to design
a Sprint Cup car that actually looks like the gorgeous 2012 Charger driving around
American roads–especially across the front end and sides.
First off, the distinct, aggressive design of the 2012 Dodge
Charger front end is clearly present on the 2013 Charger Sprint Cup car, with
the grille section protruding a bit and holding an actual crosshair grille–not just a decal.Below the crosshair,
we have a functional large central air intake opening with faux foglight
housings on the outer edges of the lower front fascia. The hood also has the scalloping similar to the
current production Charger. Down the sides,
the 2013 Charger Sprint Cup racer features more unique body shaping with the
body lines similar to the road car.
The current and previous Dodge Chargers (or Avengers) in the
NASCAR Sprint Cup have only looked like the road-going vehicles superficially. NASCAR’s attempt to make
things as uniform as possible has forced all of the cars to be shaped so
similar that they all look very much alike, but that will change vastly when the
2013 Dodge Charger debuts next year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
There is no question that the new 2013 Charger stock car
looks amazing. Hopefully, the SRT
Motorsports crew can find someone to drive them.
"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.
This past weekend, SRT Motorsports (formerly Dodge