"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.
Before the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 arrived, the 1999-2000 Dodge Durango Shelby SP360 was he baddest sport utilty vehicle on the block and this week’s photo feature is one of those gorgeous high performance Durangos owned by DF member Erin1. Like all of the Super Pursuit (SP) 360 models, this Durango sports a gorgeous Viper […] More »
I drive a great many new trucks for my day job and the biggest difference between these newer trucks and my 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 is generally the fancy infotainment system. My Ram has a pretty run of the mill radio with a plain readout in green digits while pretty much every new truck sold […] More »
The 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat will arrive as the most powerful V8 Mopar of all time with output guaranteed to top 600 horsepower and 575lb-ft of torque from the supercharged 6.2L Hemi. In the history of Mopar performance cars, only the mighty Viper has packed more power than the Hellcat Challenger so in terms […] More »
The 3rd generation Dodge Ram ran from 2002 through 2008 so with those trucks now ranging from 6 to 12 years old, they are among the more common options in the affordable used vehicle market for those folks looking to buy a Ram. The problem that many shoppers may encounter when looking to buy a […] More »
This week’s Truckin Fast Wednesday feature takes a slightly different approach than usual, trading a dry drag strip or a muddy Tuff Truck course for a big, snow covered parking lot where a 2g Dodge Dakota R/T is stretching its legs and having fun doing so. This Dakota starts by drifting from around the building […] More »
While the 3rd generation Dodge Ram comes with interior lighting, it isnt all that bright and while these lights can guide you and your passengers safely in and out of the truck –they don’t provide much help for hunting for things under the seats or dash. I have dropped something on the floor while driving […] More »
As a Dodge truck owner who has done more than my share of burnouts, I’m well aware of the Tire Shredding potential of a V8 truck roasting the rear tires but the rolling burnout performed by this 2000 Dodge Dakota is truly awe inspiring. Unfortunately, there are no details as to what has been done […] More »