"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 past weekend brought about another incredible installation of the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit and for 2013, the Chrysler Group used the massive automotive gathering to introduce the new Ram 1500 Rumble Bee Concept – a great looking sport truck designed to pay homage to the 2003 and 2004 Rumble Bee production trucks. Like […] More »
While the mighty Dodge Neon SRT4 would have warranted its own gallery a few years ago, the numbers of the high performance Neons in attendance at the Mopar Nationals have dwindled a bit over the past few years. There will still some great looking SRT4 Neons in attendance but joining them in our “sport compact” […] More »
The Dodge Challenger might technically be one of the shortest running nameplates in the history of Mopar muscle cars but the success of the original Challenger back in 1970 through 1974 combined with the popularity of the modern Challenger has made this brawny Mopar muscle car one of the most popular cars in attendance. Whether […] More »
The Dodge Viper has always been a popular attraction at the Mopar Nationals but 2013 marked the introduction of the new SRT Viper to the special area reserved for owners of the ultimate American supercars. Even though there were only a few of the new 2013 Viper coupes in attendance (the red 2013 in the […] More »
Chevy owners can be pretty obnoxious and when the opportunity to prank one of them comes up – there are few tools better to really drive someone crazy than a modified Dodge Ram powered by a Cummins Turbo Diesel engine. Many diesel owners film their trucks spewing smoke just for the sake of showing off […] More »
This week’s Photo of the Week feature looks at a 2013 SRT Viper GTS caught out in the wild but this is no ordinary Viper – this Viper is owned by Mr. Ralph Gilles, Head of the SRT brand. While attending the premier of the new movie Snake and Mongoose, I noticed Mr. Gilles entering […] More »
Lifting or lowering your car or truck can be an expensive modification but if your ride has a torsion bar front suspension setup like the Dodge Dakota (or my 1972 Dodge Demon) – you can make slight adjustments to your ride height with just a little elbow grease and some basic tools. DodgeForum moderator and […] More »