This week’s Truckin Fast Wednesday feature takes us on a video trip to Quebec where we get to watch Shawn Oliver’s pro stock style first generation Dodge Dakota tearing up everything that he faces on the 8th mile track.
We don’t know anything about the 1st gen Dodge Dakota in question but we can tell two things for sure – it’s fast and it’s not stock. During the course of the 6 minute long video, we see the hero vehicle tear up a mid 80s Monte Carlo, a170s Malibu, a 66 Coronet, a 3rd gen Camaro and much more. Mind you, this is bracket racing so the two vehicles racing are not starting at the same time in some videos. The Dakota actually has to run down the opponent while other clips show the midsized Dodge pickup holding off much faster vehicles. By the way, for those of you who aren’t familiar with 8th mile times…the 6.78-6.83 ETs turned in by this Dakota would convert to the mid 10 second range in the quarter mile. That’s Truckin’ Fast.
So grab something to snack on, turn up your speakers and enjoy watching this 1st gen Dodge Dakota run through the competition en route to a class win at Luskville Dragway in Quebec, Canada.
"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.
