"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 Muddy Monday clip takes a look at an unloved 1979 Dodge D100 pickup powered by a 225 cubic inch slant six as it plays in the mud while running on a 50/50 mix of gasoline and diesel. In looking at this truck, I am guessing that it is a rear wheel drive Dodge […] More »
The 2014 Ram 1500 with the 3.0L EcoDiesel V6 is the most efficient half ton truck engine on the market today while still offering plenty of power to tow and haul. Unlike most super efficient pickups that sacrifice performance and capabilities for high fuel economy numbers, the EcoDiesel Ram will do almost all of the […] More »
I love watching burnouts and there are few burnouts that are nastier than those performed by Dodge Ram heavy duty models powered by the Cummins Turbo Diesel engine. When the turbo of a Cummins spools up and gets the tires turning, these oil burning Rams create smoke like a pro drag car – usually under […] More »
After a long, miserable winter, spring is finally upon us and that means mud – mud which is well displayed on mtnmanpagosa’s 3rd gen Dodge Ram in the latest photo of the week. We cannot see much of this Ram but that lovely layer of mud that extends clear up to the roof serves as […] More »
This week’s Tech Thread Spotlight may not be an ideal project for a novice mechanic but those 1st generation Dodge Dakota owners who want more performance, better efficiency and just plain more fun out of their midsized Dodge pickup – this auto to manual transmission swap could show you the way. DF member 95_318SLT (whose […] More »
Roughly three years ago, the Chrysler’s Mopar division teamed up with Magneti Marelli to create the Dodge Avenger Rally Car Concept. This modified version of the normal production Avenger never went any further than the concept/test car shown in action in the video below but this front wheel drive Avenger was the first indication that […] More »
Today’s Cool Thread takes a look at the 2012 Dodge Durango R/T owned by member SLAINTE06, who has had a Gibson exhaust system fitted up to his slick SUV. To show off how great his Durango sounds – and to offer up an idea to fellow Durango owners who might be considering this exhaust system […] More »