"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 Mopar Muscle Thursday clip takes a look at a Plymouth Duster partaking in some drifting action at the Mopar Nationals. However, this isn’t the Mopar Nationals that are held each year in Columbus Ohio but rather, this clip comes from the European Mopar Nationals held at Santa Pod Raceway in the United Kingdom. […] More »
The 3rd generation Dodge Ram 1500 came with a trio of great engines but only one of them packed big power – the 5.7L Hemi. While the Hemi was the most popular engine choice of 3rd generation Ram buyers, some folks buying used trucks who are either looking to get a bunch more power or […] More »
Chrysler’s UConnect system brings in-car connectivity to a whole new level in almost all new Dodge products but like all modern technology – Uconnect can have its problems. The biggest of those problems is an inability to connect to the driver’s cell phone as a cell phone connection is vital if you want to use […] More »
The Ram 1500 Regular Cab Short Bed (RCSB) pickup in the video below is far from the fastest Ram we have featured on Truckin Fast Wednesday but it is fun to watch what is likely a near-stock Hemi Ram crush a newer VW Jetta. The information for the video doesn’t have a mod list for […] More »
This week’s Tire Shredding Tuesday clip takes a look at a 1978 Lil Red Express Dodge Ram clone doing a big, nasty burnout. Technically, this Ram does two burnouts with the first ending in an embarrassing stall of the engine but the driver makes up for it by finishing the video with a second – […] More »
The vast majority of the Dodge Ram, Dakota, Durango and even the occasional Dodge cars that we feature on Muddy Monday are just out playing in the mud for the sake of having a sloppy good time. This week’s Muddy Monday Dodge Ram is actually just a truck out doing some work in the fields […] More »
The 2015 Jeep Renegade is scheduled to debut tomorrow at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show but the folks at Jalopnik took it upon themselves to flush the embargo and post a few images a day early. This gives us a clear look at the new Fiat-based small Jeep that has been rumored for months now […] More »