This week’s Mudfest video features a short cab, short bed Ford F-250 packing an obviously modified PowerStroke diesel engine.
The details on this F-250 are unfortunately nonexistent, but based on how well this Super Duty gets through this course under a veil of thick, black smoke – it is clear that the owner has done some work to the truck.
I would guess that there is a fair amount of engine tuning done and possibly some suspension work for this F-250 to handle the abuse of the mud track.
During the first lap in the video, the drive of the bright yellow PowerStroked F-250 seems to ease the truck over the jumps and into the deep mud, seemingly working to keep the truck in one piece.
However, that comes to an end on the second lap, when the driver begins to hit the hills with enough speed to get some air. In fact, around the 1:33 mark, this big Super Duty regular cab pickup takes flight in the middle of the course and the crowd celebrates the high flying feat.
"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.
