This week’s Tire Shredding Tuesday video features former SRT boss Ralph Gilles behind the wheel of a Sublime 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat at the Carlisle All-Chrysler Nationals. Ralph pulls the bright green Challenger with all 707 of its angry ponies into the Carlisle burnout area and does a few quick, short burnouts and seemingly begins to pull away. These Hellcat Challenger burnouts weren’t bad, in fact, they were probably better than what most cars could do in the best possible circumstances. However, right when it looked like the fun was over, Ralph backed up for another shot.
Once Mr. Gilles turned off the traction control of the Hellcat Challenger, he puts the pedal to the proverbial metal and absolutely destroyed the tires. This third, proper burnout in the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat was fairly short but the well known designer of the original modern Chrysler 300 created a massive amount of smoke in just a few seconds and that was more than enough to draw the praise of the Mopar loving crowd. He finished by taking a bow, admitting that he had forgotten to turn the traction control and pointing out the loose rubber covering the ground at his feet before hopping back in the Challenger and driving away.
"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.
