"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.
Have you ever had to go to a dealership to have a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) pulled so that you could fix something on your Ram? Going to the dealership or even some shops will cost you upwards of $50 if you cannot find a parts store to do it for free. Luckily, there is […] More »
This past weekend brought us the 2013 Mopar Nationals in Columbus. One of the key attractions at the Nationals each year is the burnout competition… As it is and should be at any big automotive event. What makes the burnout competition at the Mopar Nationals so unique is that it is usually comprised of a […] More »
After 53 weeks of practice on tracks around the world, the new SRT Viper GTS-R race program scored its first win with Marc Goossens and Dominik Farnbacher taking the top spot in the American LeMans Series GT Class at Road America. Before this weekend’s win at the Orion Energy Systems 245, the previous best finish […] More »
Many of our recent Muddy Mondays features have looked at Dodge/Ram trucks in big open areas but this week, we look at a 1998 Dodge Dakota storming through some slop out in the woods. The footing doesn’t appear to be especially treacherous at first but when the Dakota gets in up to the axles roughly […] More »
This past weekend, the Global RallyCross teams took to the track of the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the 7th race of the season with a pair of Dodge Dart rally cars in the field. Not surprisingly, Travis Pastrana once again skipped out on the race with Timur Timerzyanov driving his #199 Red Bull Racing Dodge […] More »
When I ask most DodgeForum members “what is your favorite modern muscle car”, there is a good chance that the quick (and obvious) answer would be the Dodge Challenger. However, I know quite a few DF members who either already do own a Camaro or Mustang and others who would buy one of those two […] More »
The good times have continued for the Chrysler Group as the company posted yet another month of year over year growth in July 2013 – marking the 40th consecutive month in which the company had better sales than they did in the same month one year earlier. Of the five brands under the Chrysler Group […] More »