Power Stroke diesel-powered F-250 is quicker than the competitors, but loses on a red light start.
This week’s Truckin’ Fast Wednesday video comes to us from the 7zerex YouTube channeland it features a 2003 Ford F-250 Super Duty beating three Dodge products to the finish line. This footage was captured at a RaceLegal.com event. This is essentially a pop-up drag racing event held in the parking lot of a stadium, where the organizers attempt to cut down on illegal street racing by providing a safe, approved venue. The track is an eighth-mile long and there is a full timing system, so racers get times just like they would at a “normal” drag strip.
The Competitors
The hero vehicle in this video is a 2003 Ford F-250 Super Duty, powered by a turbocharged PowerStroke diesel engine. We don’t know what kind of work has been done to this ¾-ton pickup, but it has to have some work done to pack performance like we see in this footage.
The opposition for this Ford truck is a trio of Dodge products, beginning with a Dodge Ram, followed by a Dodge Charger and finishing up with a Dodge Challenger.
The Racing Action
In the first clip, the diesel-powered Ford takes on the Ram and it is all Super Duty from the time that the green lights drop. The F-250 crushes the Dodge truck, running an 8.33 at 83 miles per hour.
On the second run, the Ford truck takes on a Dodge Charger and while the Hemi-powered sedan gets out first, the big pickup quickly passes and takes the win. We don’t get to see any times for that run, but the flashing lights on the Christmas Tree tells spectators that the Ford won the race.
Finally, the Super Duty takes on a Dodge Challenger. The truck gets away from the starting line better and crushes the Mopar muscle car, but the Ford left early, giving the Dodge the red light win. It is a tough loss for the truck, but this big Ford is still quicker than all of its lighter, smaller competitors.
"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.
