A great many of the Dodge Ram trucks that we feature for our Black Friday segment are monster built Cummins trucks that have more money in the engine than some people making in a year. Many of us will never own a Ram with 1,000lb-ft of torque, but having a “normal truck” – one that hasn’t been custom built to shatter the dreams of muscle owners at the drag strip – isn’t something to be ashamed of. This week’s featured Friday piece shows one of those normal trucks with a handful of mods and a set of huge stacks that allow it to make for a great compilation video.
We don’t know what all is done to this 2001 Dodge Ram 2500, but we can see that he has a big set of stacks poking through the bed and enough mods to let it roll some coal. Mind you, this Ram doesn’t spew soot for a full minute to blacken the sky but instead, the owner shows us his truck rolling coal sitting still and cruising down the road.
There is some annoying music in the background (I hate musical backgrounds in automotive videos – exhaust and engine sound is all the music that I need), but you can still hear this Cummins Ram clear its throat as the owner sends some black smoke into the sky.
"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.
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