The Ford SVT F150 Lightning is one of the quickest pickup trucks ever but the Lightning in this week’s Truckin Fast Wednesday feature doesn’t have what it takes to keep up with the 1st generation Dodge Durango on the quarter mile. The Lightning gets out to an early lead but as the two vehicles blow past the cameraman, you can see that the Durango is quickly pulling even with the supercharged pickup and by the end of the race – the Durango had pulled ahead to take the win.
We don’t know what is done to the white Dodge Durango shown here beating the Ford Lightning F150 but the discussion in the comment section indicates that this Durango has an extensive engine build including cylinder heads, a new camshaft, a performance intake manifold and long tube headers. I would guess that this Durango is also tuned to make those components work together along with some other items that are likely fitted to this rig to get it down the track so quickly such as a transmission build and a set of good sticky tires. Then again, considering how poorly this Durango gets off of the line, perhaps it doesn’t have as good of a set of tires as is needed. In the end, this Durango runs an impressive 13.04 at 104.6 miles per hour and while we don’t get to see what the supercharged F150 in the far lane ran – we know that it wasn’t enough to beat this speedy sport ute.
"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.
