Everyone who enjoys doing burnouts started with a first burnout and there is a good chance that most of us who enjoy toasting the tires didn’t do it as well as the woman piloting the first generation Dodge Durango shown smoldering the tires in the video below.
Now, there are a few factors at work here that helped to make the wife of the owner of this Dodge Durango so successful in her first burnout attempt. First, she has someone standing next to the vehicle coaching her. Second, she has a set of rear tires that are very clearly smaller than stock and that helps to increase the effective gearing ratio thus making it easier to do a big smokey burnout. Finally, as she roars away from the camera, this Durango doesn’t sound like it is stock so in addition to the tiny tires – there may be some other drivetrain modifications made to allow this curvy Dodge SUV to roast the rear tires. I should also point out that this Durango may be doing a peg leg burnout (only spinning one rear tire) but it is hard to tell from the video and even if only one tire is spinning – it is creating a hell of a lot of smoke in the process.
All factors aside, this is an incredible burnout for anyone, let alone someone who is doing her first burnout. There is no doubt that this burnout made the husband who is taping the attempt very proud.
"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.
