"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.
This week’s Throwback video takes us back to 1966, where a black and white television ad gives us a look at the 1966 Ford F-100 pickup with its innovative independent front suspension. In this particular commercial, Ford is emphasizing the super smooth ride of the ’66 F-100 and they show off just how smooth the […] More »
Each of the past few years, Ford Motor Company has had an area in front of the Las Vegas Convention Center during the SEMA Show and among the attractions at the “Ford Out Front” area, the SVT Raptor F-150 is pushed to the limit in front of thousands of cheering show goers. This huge tarmac […] More »
This week’s Tire Smokin’ video features a 2005 Ford F-150 using 579 horsepower to do one big, nasty burnout. We don’t know what all is done to this truck, nor do we know for sure what engine is tucked under the hood of this high riding F-150, but we do know that it is packing […] More »
This week’s Muddy video features lightly modified 2001 Ford F-150 playing in some deep, wet mud. Unlike some of our videos that show a F-150 digging through what is little more than a muddy pond, today’s F-150 is axle deep in mud that is wet enough to be slick, but dry enough to still be […] More »
The Chrysler’s Ram brand has nabbed the title of the most fuel friendly half ton truck in America with their new EcoDiesel engine and while Ford has thrown around the idea of a light duty diesel – the 2015 Ford F-150 will not come with a diesel option. I have spoken with a handful of […] More »
This week’s Throwback video features a 1978 “Junkyard Dog” Ford F-150 pickup tackling a monster mud pit. You know that a video is going to be pretty awesome when the first shot has a dude in denim bib overalls and muck boots – and this F-150 makes sure to not disappoint. It might be a […] More »
This week Truckin Fast video features an 8th generation Ford F-150 (1987-1991) in action on the Tuff Truck course. Tuff Truck, also known as Ruff Truck by some people, takes relatively stock pickups that have usually been ridden hard and put up wet (like this 8th gen F-150), and sends them out onto a short […] More »