Woodward 2017: No FCA Display, No Problem

Have a look at what the 2017 Woodward Dream Cruise had to offer for Mopar fans.

Due to their familiar space at the corner of Woodward Ave and 13 Mile Road being demolished, FCA didn’t have an official display at the 2017 Woodward Dream Cruise, but the Modern Street Hemi Shootout (MSHS) provided an awesome area for Mopar lovers. Instead of being wedged into a spot in Royal Oak, where the many stoplights prevent any actual cruising as the local police scramble to ticket people with stock exhaust systems, the MSHS are we located in an area of Pontiac, Michigan known as the Woodward Loop.

The Pontiac police are a bit more lenient, so hanging out around the Woodward Loop will allow you to catch far more burnouts and more importantly, the traffic moves more freely around “the Loop”, so that portion of the Woodward Dream Cruise actually has some cruising rather than just a bunch of cars inching through traffic as bicycle cops weave in and out of the vehicles. Royal Oak and Ferndale might have the OEM displays, but if you want to come to the Woodward Dream Cruise and catch the high powered action which made this event so famous – Pontiac is the place to be whether you are a spectator or a cruiser.

Based just on the location, people visiting the Modern Street Hemi Shootout area in Pontiac would get a more exciting look at the Woodward Dream Cruise than they would have while standing at the corner of 13 Mile and Woodward, but what went on around the parking area was only the tip of the iceberg.

As you might expect, the Modern Street Hemi Shootout parking area was chock full of the fastest and most powerful late model Mopar machines from Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep and Ram, but there were also some classic Mopar muscles cars – with some sporting modern engines and others fitted with the old school V8s. While the official FCA display had a handful of privately owned show cars among a large spread of company-owned vehicles, the MSHS area had scores of privately owned vehicles complete with a judged show portion. There was also a barbecue buffet for those folks who participate in the Hemi-powered race series and those who displayed cars along Woodward, as well as a practice tree contest with the girls of Bad Ass Official and Van Drake Racing (two of the key MSHS sponsors).

Finally, FCA was kind enough to send down a few special guest vehicles in the form of a black Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody, an Octane Red Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and a new Dodge Durango SRT. The company also sent TV personality Steve Magnante to hold a trivia contest with plenty of Dodge branded prizes including Demon shirts and key chains.

So, while the old FCA display at the corner of 13 Mile and Woodward offered Mopar lovers a chance to check out the newest production vehicles, an array of concept cars, a small collection of privately owned show vehicles, some automotive celebrities and a variety of free Dodge stuff – the Modern Street Hemi Shootout did an awesome job of filling that void. There weren’t as many concept cars or as many “free stuff stations”, but the MSHS area offered a legit car show with scores of vehicles, great food and a better view of the Dream Cruise action – plus one celebrity with some free Dodge goodies and some of the hottest new models coming to the Dodge lineup for 2018.

While it was a bummer for Mopar fans to not have an official company display to visit while at the 2017 Woodward Dream Cruise, the Modern Street Hemi Shootout proved to be a great place for lovers of all Chrysler Group vehicles to enjoy the world’s biggest car cruise.

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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