When we are sitting online, talking about our passion for all things Dodge, we seldom think about how the Dodge and Ram owners on this site are spread around the world. Fortunately, 3rd generation Ram moderator weedahoe add an interactive map on the website ZeeMaps where members can put a marker where they reside. This thread also allows DF members to find others in their area as the map zooms in very close. In fact, the ZeeMap system would allow you to essentially mark exactly where you live if you opted to do that.
While the map shows that the vast majority of our members live in the United States, DodgeForum members in Greenland, Norway, Kazakhstan, France, Germany and many other countries have placed their home marker. While you would expect to see some members in countries outside of the US, it is really incredible just how many members are located throughout Europe. What is even more impressive is the fact that with just 866 members entering their location, DodgeForum has a huge reach around the world.
If you get a chance, stop into the DodgeForum member map thread and place your marker!
"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.
