F-150 truck does its best to finish race, but the thick, deep mud threatens to muck up those plans.
This week’s “Muddy Monday” video comes to us from the Rockwell Offroad YouTube channel and it features a tenth generation Ford F-150 participating in the Pine Grove Mud Racing action earlier this year in Bon Wier, Texas. In most cases, the objective in a mud race is to get across the pit as quickly as possible, but the mud bog is so treacherous that it is a challenge to just finish the race.
In the case of the white Ford truck shown here, the mud is too deep and the challenge it too great, leaving the F-150 stuck in the slop on both runs.
The Machine
There are no details provided on this Ford truck, but the body appears to be from a tenth generation F-150. It may also have the frame and interior of a 1997 through 2004 half-ton, but it is clear that the chassis and suspension have been heavily modified to add ground clearance and to make plenty of room for the huge tractor tires. As for the engine, it is definitely much healthier-sounding than any stock engine from that era, but we don’t know if this truck has a modified original engine or something completely different.
In any case, this F-150 looks like a formidable foe for your average mud bog race, but this isn’t your average mud bog when it comes to racing.
Mud Racing
In most cases, mud racing is done in a bog that is relatively shallow, as the objective is to see who gets to the other side in the shortest amount of time. However, the Pine Grove Mud Racing course is deep with thick, wet mud, making for a relatively unfriendly racing venue.
However, the big white Ford took its shot. After having the tow rope connected, the driver begins his run, blasting out across the slop with dirt kicking high into the air. Everything looks to be going smoothly until the F-150 hits the deepest, thickest mud, at which point it immediately grinds a halt. The driver doesn’t even bother trying to dig out, instead waiting for the bulldozer to drag his truck to dry land.
At the end of the video, the F-150 makes another run in the dark, but on that second pass, the Ford doesn’t appear to make it as far as it had on the first run.
"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.
