This past weekend brought us the first round in the 2012
NASCAR Sprint Cup “Chase for the Cup” in the Geico 400 at the Chicagoland Speedway
and when the checkered flag dropped on the first race leading up to the
championship – Dodge driver Brad Keselowski was the winner.
The Geico 400 began with the #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger
driven by Brad Keselowski starting in the 13th spot while Sam
Hornish Jr continued his fill-in job for AJ Allmendinger in the #22
Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger as he started in the 16th spot.Keselowski quickly worked his way towards the
front of the field and on lap 232, BK passed Jimmie Johnson in a move that
Johnson claimed was an illegal move by the Dodge driver.According to the driver of the #48 Lowe’s
Chevrolet, Keselowski merged back onto the track earlier than he should have
and that caused Johnson to have to slow down.
However, NASCAR reviewed the situation and by lap 240, the
sanctioning body had ruled in favor of the #2 Charger.From there on out, it was clear sailing for
Brad Keselowski as he drove to his fourth win o fthe 2012 NASCAR season.While Sam Hornish Jr was routinely in the top
ten throughout the race, the #22 Charger was forced to settle for an 11th
place finish.
This race marked a fresh start for the top 12 drivers in the
standings as part of the “Chase for the Cup” championship structure so when
Keselowski won the race on Sunday – he put himself in the top spot for the
championship with just 9 races left in the season.Since he is in the running for the NASCAR Nationwide
Series championship, Hornish is not eligible for Sprint Cup points.
Seeing the #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger driven by Brad
Keselowski do so well in the race is great for Dodge NASCAR fans but with the
news that Dodge will leave NASCAR after this year – Keselowski’s success comes
too late for some fans.On the other
hand, that won’t prevent hardcore Mopar lovers from routing for Team Penske
until the day that they stop using the Dodge race cars.
"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.
