There are arguably few pickup trucks that look more natural as a drag race vehicle than the 2nd generation Dodge Dakota and the Dak featured in this week’s Truckin’ Fast Wednesdays video is about as good as it gets. We don’t know a whole lot about this Dakota shy of the fact that it is powered by a 470 cubic inch stroker motor (thanks to one of the comments by the person who posted the video).
As the video begins, we can see that this is not your ordinary Dodge Dakota thanks to the aggressive stance, the cowl induction style hood, the huge tires tucked under the rear end and the roll cage extending out across the bed. Once this Dakota begins cleaning off the tires in the burnout box – it is clear that this is one nasty fast Dodge pickup.
This is a bracket race with the Dakota dialing 6.16 and the 3rd generation Camaro in the left lane dialed in at 7.22 so the Camaro gets a head start of over a second but as the video ends, we can see the win light go to the Dakota as it runs down the slower GM muscle car. For those of you who are not familiar with how 8th mile ETs relate to quarter mile times, 6.16 in the 8th would put this Dakota in the mid 9 second range – and that’s truckin’ fast.
"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.
