The Dodge Dart race teams of the Global RallyCross series took to the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway this past weekend with their “normal” drivers in place and the hopes of great things but in the end – the race went just as poorly as the rest of the events this season. Even with Travis Pastrana and Bryce Menzies in attendance (having both of them has been a rare occurrence this season), Menzies’ #99 car once again failed to make it to the finals while Travis Pastrana failed to complete a full lap in the finals after looking fairly sharp in his heat race.
Once again, the qualifying round put both Travis Pastrana and Bryce Menzies head to head in the same heat race with the pair of Dodge Dart rallycross cars hitting the track for Sunday’s heat #2. On the start, a heated race to the first corner saw Menzies collide with Pastrana and as a result, Menzies lost his right front wheel. Pastrana was able to climb up to second to secure his spot in the finals but for Menzies, he wasn’t able to make it into the first turn.
Bryce Menzies went into the Last Chance Qualifier with his Red Bull Dart in an effort to grab one of the three transfer spots into the final race and he almost made it through an entire lap but when Tanner Foust hit the wall right before the start/finish line – forcing Sandell and Menzies to tangle up and crash – Bryce wasn’t even able to complete the first lap.
Travis Pastrana started on the second row in the finals with his 600 horsepower Dart and as the field battled through the first few turns, Pastrana sat in the middle of the group. However, as the field entered the sharp uphill turn, Sverre Isachsen spun his Subaru and everyone behind him slammed into him in an effort to shove their way past. During this melee on the hill, Travis Pastrana’s Dart was banged around and he lost steering…leaving him dead on the hill. The race was red flagged and while Sverre was able to line up for the restart, Pastrana was not.
Travis would officially finish 9th while Bryce settled for the 14th position. On the season, Travis Pastrana sits in the 11th position while Bruce Menzies is in the 16th position. Should Travis pull out a big win at the season finale in Las Vegas, he could jump as high as 9th but based on the struggles this season – that win won’t come easy if it comes at all.
"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.
