"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.
This week’s Truckin Fast Wednesday clip features a 2nd gen Dodge Ram that obviously has some serious work done that allows it to cruise through the quarter mile in the mid 11 second range with trap speeds around 114 miles per hour. While there is a little smoke from the huge exhaust stack that could […] More »
On July 1st 1914, John and Horace Dodge ended their manufacturing partnership with Henry Ford and upon doing so, they decided to launch their own car company – and the Dodge Brothers Corporation was born. John and Horace both died in 1920 after catching pneumonia at the New York Auto Show, but the brand that […] More »
Changing the thermostat in your 3rd generation Dodge Dakota can serve as a performance mod as it helps to keep the engine running cooler or you can simply change the thermostat as a preventative measure as your truck ages, but in either case it is a job that you can do at home with only […] More »
It was just announced that the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat would offer more tire shredding power than any American production car ever with 707 horsepower and 650lb-ft of torque, so it seems fitting to show off the current SRT V8 products doing some big, smokey burnouts side by side. This video was captured at […] More »
The Chrysler Group has announced the official power numbers for the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and with a bone chilling 707 horsepower, the Hellcat Hemi is officially the most powerful American V8 ever while also being the most powerful muscle car ever, the most powerful American production car ever and the 6th most powerful […] More »
Today’s featured Cool Thread takes a look at an interesting trade made by DodgeForum member V10Venom, who traded a problematic Pontiac Grand Am GT for a 3rd gen Dodge Ram Regular Cab/Short Bed (RCSB). Some people avoid buying full size pickups because the price point is too high for their budget, but thanks to some […] More »
The Lil Red Express Dodge Ram was an on-road performance truck well before on-road performance trucks were really a consideration in the segment. These trucks followed in the footsteps of the earlier Dodge Dude pickups and the Lil Red Express took performance to the next level with a great deal of success. However, very few […] More »