New Hampshire Motor Speedway was good to Dodge last weekend

This past weekend, the NASCAR Nationwide Series and Sprint
Cup Series made a stop in Loudon New Hampshire with the Global RallyCross crew –
with the first win by the 2013 Dodge Dart rally car joined by another
Nationwide Series win for Brad Keselowski.

On Saturday, July 14^th, the NASCAR Nationwide
Series took to the pavement of New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the F.W. Webb
200.  There were only 2 Dodge Challengers
entered in the 43 car field but with the 1^st and 6^th starting
positions – Team Penske had high hopes for their drivers.  Starting on the pole was Brad Keselowski in
his #22 Snap On Tools Dodge Challenger while teammate Sam Hornish Jr started on
the outside of the 3^rd row (6^th position) in his #12
Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger. 
Both cars ran strong all day and when the checkered flag dropped after
200 laps – Brad Keselowski was the winner and Hornish finished a few spots back
in 4^th.  With his 4^th
place finish, Hornish continued to hold onto the 4^th position in the
season standings, just 32 points behind point leader Elliot Saddler.  This is Keselowski’s second win of the
Nationwide Series season but he is not participating in the battle for the Nationwide
championship so he earned no points for this race.

Things were a little different on Sunday for the Penske
Dodge Chargers as Brad Keselowski qualified way back in 22^nd
position in his #2 Miller Lite car with teammate Sam Horning Jr starting right
behind him in 24^th in the #22 Shell/Pennzoil car normally driven by
AJ Allmendinger.  Hornish was filling in
for the second race in a row while Allmendinger works to appeal the indefinite suspension
handed down by NASCAR officials after failing a random drug test.

Similar to the Saturday race, Brad Keselowski had a strong
car in the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 and was near the front of the field for
much of the day but when the checkered dropped, Keselowski settled for a 5^th
place finish.  Hornish struggled all day
and ended up one lap down – finishing in the 22^nd spot.  Keselowski’s 5^th place finished
caused him to drop from 9^th to 10^th place in the Sprint
Cup season standings, just one point behind Toyota driver Clint Bowyer.  However, so long as Brad Keselowski can
remain in the top 12, he has a chance at winning the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup
championship.

The Sprint Cup drivers are off this weekend as they prepare
for the battle at the Brickyard.  The
Nationwide Series races again this Sunday at Chicagoland speedway in the STP
300 and they will be joined by the Camping World Truck Series who takes to the
track on Saturday for the American Ethanol 250. 
With the Sprint Cup taking a week off, we can probably expect to see
plenty of NASCAR regulars racing in the trucks this Saturday – hopefully including
Brad Keselowski.

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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