On our Truckin Fast Wednesday feature, we look at Dodge and Ram trucks participating in all sorts of high performance activities from drag racing to dirt racing to racing around an oval but today we watch a Dodge Dakota drifting at Rockford Speedway – marking the first time that we have really seen a Dodge truck participating in the rapidly growing motorsport. We have previous watched a Dodge Ram SRT10 slip and slide his way around a big track while smoking the rear tires but that wasn’t drifting in the sporting sense, it was just an incredibly long rolling burnout.
This Dodge Dakota R/T is likely modified to drift this well and if nothing else, the owner has at least installed a nice loud exhaust system as this truck sounds fantastic as it drifts its way around the track. It also appears to be sitting awfully low so I would suspect that this Dakota also has some suspension work – although it looks like he is rolling on the stock rims.
In any case, this 2nd gen Dodge Dakota R/T puts on a pretty solid example of drifting on this small track, showing that not only Nissans with Chevy engines could put on a nice smokey slide show. At the end of the video, this Dakota also does an awesome rolling burnout right in front of the cameraman – serving as a great ending point.
"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.
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