After Rough Daytona 500, Dodge Shines in Phoenix

Even though Brad Keselowski ran towards the front during the
majority of the 2012 Daytona 500, a late race wreck knocked him back to 32^nd
place, and the other two Dodge Chargers in the big race finished behind
him.  It was a disappointing Daytona 500
for Team Dodge, but things would go much better for the Dodge drivers in Phoenix–both in Saturday’s Nationwide Series race and the Sprint Cup race on Sunday.

In Saturday’s Bashas’ Supermarkets 200, Brad Keselowski
started 7^th in his #22 Discount Tire sponsored Dodge Challenger and
by the end of the race, he had worked his way up to a 2^nd place
finish.  This was Keselowski’s 2^nd
2^nd of the year in two races but his finishes have to impact on the
season standings, as he is not in the running for the Nationwide championshp.  His teammate, Sam Hornish Jr. started 6^th
and finished 6^th in his #12 Alliance Truck Parts backed Dodge
Challenger (shown above) – moving him to 6^th (up 4 spots) in the
season standings, 26 points out of 1^st place. 

There were two other Dodge entries in the Nationwide Series Bashas’
Supermarkets 200, rookie Jason Bowles in the #81 Dodge Challenger sponsored by
American Majority Racing and journeyman driver David Green in the Robinson-Blakeney
Racing #28 Dodge.  Bowles finished 3 laps
down in 19^th place, helping him move up 6 spots in the season
standings to 22^nd.  Bowles is
currently 61 points out of first palce. 
Green started 35^th and finished 35^th – leaving the
race on lap 109 due to an engine vibration.

On Sunday, the same three Dodge Charger stock cars that
represented the brand in last week’s Daytona 500 qualified for the Sprint Cup
Series Subway Fresh Fit 500.  AJ
Allmendinger in his #22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge was the best of the three Chargers
in qualifying, starting 15^th while Keselowski started 28^th
in the #2 Miller Lite Dodge and Robby Gordon started 39^th in his #7
Speed Energy Charger. 

After a strong qualifying run and a good early race, AJ
Allmendinger had troubles on lap 133 that required his team to do some quick
repairs and while they were able to get the #22 Charger back on the track –
Allmendinger would not be in contention. 
He finished 18^th, one lap down and now sits in 25^th
(up 6 spots) on the season.  For the
second week in a row, Robby Gordon ran into mechanical troubles and was forced
to leave the race after just 33 laps when his brakes were failing.  Gordon is now in 42^nd place on the
year.

Brad Keselowski was once again the bright spot for Dodge
NASCAR fans, fighting his way from the rear of the field in his #2 Miller Lite
Dodge Charger to finish the race in 5^th spot.  Thanks to his strong efforts this past week,
Keselowski jumped up 17 spots in the season standings, now sitting in 12^th
place after the first two stops of the year. 

While Team Dodge didn’t grab any wins this past week in
Phoenix, the fact that they were able to field a 2^nd and 6^th
in the Nationwide Series along with a 5^th place in the Sprint Cup
race shows promise for the rest of the 2012 NASCAR season.  IF Dodge is going to survive, their cars will
need to do well enough in both of the NASCAR leagues to attract new teams for
next year.  Weeks like this one are a
good start.

Check out the DodgeForum.com professional racing section for more NASCAR discussions by clicking here!

Patrick Rall

"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.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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