"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.
The start of the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit introduced us to the new Stryker Green exterior paint scheme and having gotten to see that bright metallic green Viper in person – I instantly fell in love with this new hue. The problem (if you want to call it a problem) is […] More »
While Ram owners are able to buy components of the Ram Runner package to turn their daily driven pickup into an offroad monster, DF member Cali01dak base his prerunner style Dodge pickup on a second generation Dakota. The result is one of the coolest 2g Dakota pickups I’ve seen and based on the work done […] More »
This week’s Black Friday feature takes a look at a modded up 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 powered by a Cummins Turbo Diesel engine in some smokey burnout action that is both preceded and accompanied by some serious coal rollin’. This Cummins Ram has a long mod list that includes a new turbocharger, fuel system upgrades, […] More »
The later 4.7L V8 engines in the Dodge Dakota used a dual spark plug setup that means that a tune up requires 16 new spark plugs and some careful selection of tools to perform a tune up without giving yourself a huge headache. Fortunately, DF member Xxaler put together a great DIY explaining what you […] More »
There is a good chance that if you are reading this, you have at some point been in the same situation as the owner of the Dodge Charger in the video below. He has purchased new wheels for his Charger R/T and he has made arrangements to sell the stock wheels. Judging by this video, […] More »
Do you have a Dodge Caliber with a check engine light? Maybe you have been experiencing some sound system problems or maybe an airbag light? Regardless of what type of problem you have encountered with your 5-door Dodge hatchback, our Caliber section has a thread with the applicable trouble code. This thread, which was put […] More »
This week’s Truckin Fast Wednesday feature takes a look at what appears to be a 2nd generation Dodge Dakota R/T drag racing against a 1964 Ford Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt is a purpose built vintage style race car complete with a lifted front end to make room for the straight front axle while the Dakota is […] More »