This week’s Truckin’ Fast video features a Ford Flex teaching a lesson in the importance of traction to a Dodge Viper ACR. This video was captured at the Roadkill Nights event at the Pontiac Silverdome, where there was a temporary 8th mile drag strip set up for grudge styling racing. The conditions were very shaky, as the vehicles were literally racing through the parking lot of a stadium that is crumbling to the ground. Many very powerful cars at the event – like this Dodge Viper ACR – had troubles getting away from the line while some all-wheel drive vehicles – like this Ford Flex were able to hand out some impressive beatings.
This video shows one such impressive beating.
The Viper wowed the crowd with a big smokey burnout, while the Ford Flex sat quietly at the starting line. The Viper backed up and staged, with the roar of the V10 anticipating the starting signal. However, when the light came on, the all-wheel drive Ford Flex quickly ripped away from the line, while the mighty Viper struggled to get traction. This allowed the EcoBoost-powered Ford SUV to get a big enough lead to hold off the Viper on the top end, giving the win to the unlikely competitor.
"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.
