The Dodge Dakota has come to an end but today, we look at one of the sportiest of the midsized picksup in this Trucking Fast Wednesday feature showing a 2nd gen Dakota R/T short cab tearing up a Chevy Trailblazer SS in the quarter mile.
We don’t have any specs on the 2g Dakota in the video below but there is no question that it has a handful of modifications to run the numbers that it does. It looks like the Trailblazer SS in the video (that the track announcer first mistakes for a Jeep) actually gets off of the line a little better so this might be an all wheel drive TBSS but it also appears to be stock considering that it barely cracks into the 13 second range.
The Trailblazer runs a 13.98 at 99 miles per hour which is a pretty impressive time for a roomy sport utility vehicle but it wasn’t enough to keep up with the Dodge Dakota R/T roaring down the quarter mile with an ET of 12.49 and a trap speed of 107 miles per hour. The video is a little blurry at the end but you can clearly see the Dakota’s board light up first while the track announcer clearly states the ETs and speeds of these two unconventional racers.
"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.
