This past weekend marked a rare occurrence in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series – neither the Pro Stock or Funny Car classes were won by someone piloting a Dodge race car. The success of multiple drivers in each of those two branded classes has made for a great 2013 championship season and Dodge drag racing fans have rarely had to worry about not seeing either a Dodge Charger or Avenger (or both) in the winner’s circle. However, with the drivers taking to Texas for the second of six stops in the Countdown to the Championship, things didn’t go as well for the Dodge teams as they have throughout the rest of the season.
In the Pro Stock class, there were six Dodge Avenger race cars in the field with Allen Johnson being the best qualifying Dodge in the 4th spot. Vincent Nobile qualified 8th, V Gaines was 9th, Jeg Coughlin was 10th, Matt Hartford was 15th and Chris McGaha was 16th but with Nobile, Hartford and McGaha losing in the first round, just three of those cars moved onto round 2. V Gaines was able to beat Erica Enders and Jeg Coughlin beat Rickie Jones to advanced to round 3 while Allen Johnson lost of Jason Line. In round 3, Line also knocked out V Gaines with Gaines red lit while Shane Gray beat Jeg Coughlin with a great reaction time. The final run saw Jason Line’s Summit Camaro beat Gray’s Camaro for the win.
The win allowed Jason Line to jump up into the top spot in the run for the Pro Stock championship but thanks to Jeg advancing to the third round, Coughlin still sits in the 2nd spot – just 8 points out of first. Allen Johnson sits in the 5th spot, 74 points out of the lead.
The Funny Car class also had six Dodge team cars in the race with the quickest of the qualifiers being Matt Hagan in the 3rd position. Ron Capps qualified 4th, Jack Beckman was 6th, Johnny Gray was 8th, Jeff Arend was 14th and Blake Alexander started in the 15th spot. Gray, Hagan and Beckman won their way out of round1 but for Capps, Arend and Alexander, it was one and done. Johnny Gray lost to Robert Hight in round 2 while a shootout between Hagan and Beckman saw Jack Beckman and his Charger advancing to the third round – where he was knocked out be Cruz Pedregon and his Toyota Camry. In the finals, Pedregon beat John Force with the starting line advantage and a strong run.
Fortunately, Matt Hagan’s powerful lead coming into the Countdown to the Championship has allowed him to maintain a 51 point lead over Cruz Pedregon with 4 events left in the season.
"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.
