This week’s Truckin’ Fast video comes to us from Barona Drag Strip in Lakeside, California, where we have a race between two very similar Ford F-150 SVT Lightning pickups.
Unfortunately, there is no information for either truck, so we don’t know what kind of work has been done to these factory-blown F-150s, but it is pretty clear that these trucks are not stock.
After big, smoky burnouts by both of the silver Lightnings, the trucks pull to the line and it appears as though they both have non-matching read rims – indicating that they are running sticky tires.
Even with the likelihood of drag radials or better, both trucks seem to struggle to get away from the line when the green light drops. The F-150 in the near lane seems to hold an early lead, but the SVT half ton in the left lane quickly catches up as they reach the finish line.
In the end, the truck in the right lane got there first, with a time of 7.64, but the F-150 in the left lane ran a 7.67 – with a trap speed almost 7 mpg higher. Crank up your speakers to hear the mix of engine roar and blower whine.
"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.
