Top 10 Dodge Ram Pickups at the Carlisle All-Truck Nationals

Here are some of our favorite Dodge Ram trucks from the past few years of the huge Pennsylvania show.

Each year in August, scores of trucks, vans and SUVs of all shapes and sizes pour into the Carlisle Fairgrounds in Pennsylvania for the All-Truck Nationals and every year, Dodge and Ram trucks are well represented. We have hunted down walkthrough videos from five of the past six years of the huge truck show, picking out ten of our favorite Dodge and/or Ram brand models from 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, skipping 2013 because we couldn’t find any high enough quality videos from that year.

We have included the full videos at the end of this piece and in them, you can see the huge spread of vehicles at the Carlisle All-Truck Nationals, including every brand imaginable and every type of truck – from flawless restored classics to 80s mini-trucks to late model monster machines. However, for those readers who don’t want to sit through the videos, here are ten of our favorite Dodge or Ram brand vehicles from the All-Truck Nationals.

The Classics

Let’s start with some of the old school Dodge trucks, including the coolest Dodge van in any of these videos.

From the 1940s through the 1960s, the Dodge Power Wagon was one of the most rugged trucks sold in America. At the 2016 Carlisle All-Truck Nationals, one of these cool classic Power Wagons was displayed with one of the 4^th generation versions of the Ram 2500 Power Wagon – shown at the top of this piece.

This 1^st generation Dodge Ram just looks like a super-clean half-ton truck from the late 1970s, but under the hood is a 572-cubic inch Hemi crate engine, likely making this one of the quickest classic Mopar trucks at the show in 2016.

There are far fewer vans than trucks, but this old school Dodge Van named the Jolly Green Giant was a showstopper at the 2015 All-Truck Nationals.

90s Dodge Trucks

The 2^nd generation Dodge Ram was introduced in 1994 and that truck introduced the curvy modern era of Mopar pickups. While they are getting up there in years, Dodge trucks from the 90s are still a common model in Carlisle – including the 2^nd generation Dakota.

There aren’t many Dodge Dakota pickups on display, but this 2g R/T with a Shaker hood looks great with the contrasting orange and black livery.

At the 2012 Carlisle All-Truck Nationals, this high-riding black truck with metallic pinkish-purple flames stood out about the crowd.

When the 2g Ram was new, Dodge was heavily involved in the world of monster trucks and some of those old school, high-riding performance trucks make an appearance in Carlisle.

The Hottest 2000s

The 3^rd generation Dodge Ram and 4^th generation Ram (no more Dodge) are the most popular Mopar-powered trucks at the Carlisle All-Truck Nationals due to them being the newest. It was tough, but we picked out four of our favorites from 2003 through 2017.

Slammed trucks aren’t for everyone, but this Cummins-powered early 3^rd generation Ram 3500 is low enough to fit in with the lowered trucks, but it isn’t ridiculously low.

This 4^th generation Ram Heavy Duty has common upgrades including a lift kit, huge wheels/tires, a custom grille and LED-trimmed headlights, perfecting the murdered-out look.

This bright red 4^th generation Ram HD looks like it is ready for any off-road situation while also looking awfully pretty at the All-Truck Nationals.

Finally, the custom bright green paint is what draws you over to this 4^th gen Ram HD, but the long list of custom upgrades from front to back makes this one of the coolest trucks from the 217 event.

The 2018 Carlisle All-Truck Nationals are being held on August 3^rd through the 5^th, with spectator admission for the whole weekend starting at $25 while the cost of a show vehicle is $50 for non-judged show, while the judged classes cost $65 to enter.

Check out the videos below of those All-Truck Nationals mentioned above for a look at the full scope of the huge event.

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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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