This past weekend marked the second in a row where the
NASCAR racers found themselves on the highbanks of Charlotte Motor Speedway
with the Nationwide race on Saturday bringing Brad Keselowski and Team Penske
another win while Brad finished a strong 4th in the Sunday Sprint
Cup race.
For Saturday’s Nationwide Series History 300, there were
only two Dodge Challengers in the 43 car field with Sam Hornish Jr. in the #12
Alliance Truck Parts starting 5th while Brad Keselowski started 10th
in the #22 Discount Tire entry.As has
been the case most of the NASCAR season, Sam Hornish Jr was around the front of
the field all day long en route to a 9th place finish but the day
was much, much better for Brad Keselowski. His #22 Challenger was once again a force to be reckoned with as he held
off Toyota drivers Danny Hamlin and Kyle Busch to net his first win of the
Nationwide Series.Sam Hornish Jr held
onto the 4th place in season standings with his 9th place
finish in Charlotte.
On Sunday, the Coca Cola 600 also only had 2 Dodge entries
in the 43 car field.AJ Allmendinger
started 11th in the #22 Shell Pennzoil Charger while teammate Brad
Keselowski started in a disappointing 24th in the #2 Miller Lite
Charger.Keselowski was a front runner
throughout the lengthy race but at the end of the day, he had to settle for a 5th
place finish behind the same two Toyota drivers he bested on Saturday, Greg
Biffle in the Ford and former Dodge driver Kasey Kahne who won his first race
of the year for Rick Hendrick. Keselowski moved up one spot to the 11th position in 2012
Sprint Cup season standings while Allmendinger dropped two spots to the 24th
position.
The NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series both head to
Dover this weekend for the 5-hour Energy 200 and the FedEx 400 benefiting
Autism Speaks.
"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.
This past weekend marked the second in a row where the