Help choose the winner of the Chrysler Custom Challenge at SEMA

The Chrysler Group has launched a new contest entitled “The Chrysler Custom Challenge” and while this contest is only open to Chrysler brand vehicles (no Dodge products), all Mopar fans are invited to vote for their favorite customized Chryslers submitted online. Those who have a customized Chrysler brand vehicle can submit it via Facebook and those Mopar lovers who simply want to cast their vote can do so by liking the Chrysler Facebook page and agreeing to the terms. In total, there will be 13 winners selected with the top three getting a trip to the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas where one lucky owner will be awarded the Chrysler Custom Challenge title – and a grand prize package that includes $5k in cash and a trip to the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

“The Chrysler brand is looking for those enthusiasts whose love for the brand is expressed through their vehicles. We’ve seen and met many of them at the various car shows and events, but we know there are many more out there,” said Saad Chehab, President and CEO – Chrysler brand, Chrysler Group LLC. “We want to meet our top enthusiasts so we can not only share their passion, but reward them for their creativity, dedication and loyalty to the Chrysler brand.”

The Chrysler Custom Challenge is broken into two phases.  The first phase is going on right now and it consists of owners submitting pictures and information on their customized Chrysler brand vehicle.  Once approved those submissions are posted in a special gallery on the Chrysler Facebook page where fans of the page can vote for their favorites.  Phase one runs from now until July 1^st (submissions must be in by June 24^th), at which point Chrysler will announce the top three finalists who will move onto the next phase along with ten runners up.  Those 10 who are recognized but do not get to go onto Vegas for the next round still get a pretty sweet prize package, including a four day/three night trip to Detroit, a special tour of the Chrysler headquarters and $100 in Chrysler brand merchandise.  Not too shabby for finishing 4^th through 13^th.

The three finalists from phase one will go onto the next step in the Chrysler Custom Challenge, which begins with each of the owners getting access to a professional camera crew to make a walk-around video of their vehicle – highlighting what makes it special and why it deserves the title of the top Chrysler Custom Challenge vehicle. On September 10^th, those three videos will be published to the Chrysler brand Facebook and YouTube account where fans can go to cast their vote for the best car in the group. Those votes will help the panel of guest judges pick the winner of the contest but rather than just announcing the winner on the internet – Chrysler will use the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas as the backdrop for the big announcement.

Each of the three finalists will get a seven day/ six night trip to Las Vegas where they will attend the 2013 SEMA Show and $250 in Chrysler brand merchandise. On Friday, November 8th (the final day of SEMA), a group of guest judges will make their final decision and announce the winner of the Chrysler Custom Challenge. The two finalists who do not win will each get $4,000 (in addition to their trip to Vegas) while the winner of the contest will get $5,000 and a trip to the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

While there are likely a great many Dodge-owning Mopar lovers who are bummed that they cannot enter their vehicle for a chance to win $5,000, a trip to Detroit and a trip to Las Vegas. However, the Chrysler brand doesn’t get nearly as much attention. So for owners of the luxury arm of the Chrysler Group this is a great chance to grab a moment in the spotlight.

Click here to visit the Chrysler Facebook page to check out the entries and to cast your votes on the best looking of the group!

Patrick Rall

"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.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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