This past weekend brought us the 2013 Mopar Nationals in Columbus. One of the key attractions at the Nationals each year is the burnout competition… As it is and should be at any big automotive event. What makes the burnout competition at the Mopar Nationals so unique is that it is usually comprised of a very broad selection of vehicles from classic muscle cars to diesel pickups to clunkers that have literally been taken out of a junk yard just to do burnouts. For this week’s Tire Shredding Tuesday feature, we look at a 1971 Dodge Charger in the world famous Mopar Nationals burnout competition this past Saturday.
I don’t know much about the car shy of the fact that it looked good from the stands (many of the vehicles are a bit on the beat up side as burnout competitions can be hard on the vehicle) and that it did one big, nasty burnout. Just to be clear, the drivers only have 30 seconds to create as much smoke as possible and while I missed hearing the announcement of who won – having seen most of the attempts I would guess that this guy could have been the winner. This Charger sounds as great as it looks while doing this monster burnout so make sure to crank up your speakers and enjoy!
"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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.