Roadkill Nights 2023 Roars With Record Crowd

Dodge's annual celebration of Motor City muscle sets record for attendance at eighth annual event.

Eight years ago, some smart car enthusiasts at Dodge decided to grow their own event as part of an annual celebration in the Detroit area known as the Woodward Dream Cruise. The Dodge guys noticed that many of the classic muscle car owners were itching to race their vehicles, like Dodge Challengers and Chargers, on the famed Woodward Avenue, just like cruisers had done, back in the 60’s and 70’s. The organizers wondered how they could make the racing legal, safe and fun. That is how the Roadkill Nights event was born. This year, the eighth Annual MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge drew a record crowd of more than 42,000 fans to a new location in Downtown Pontiac, Michigan.

Roadkill Nights Keeps the Competition Alive

This year, the Roadkill Nights day long festival moved to a location in downtown Pontiac, on the northern edge of the route cruisers frequented back in the day. A crowd estimated at 42,750 gathered to watch street-legal drag racing and entertainment, including a special concert by rapper and actor Ice Cube.

There were more than 120 drag-racing competitors and after a day of racing, more than $30,000 was divided among the winners in various categories. More than 1 million viewers watched the event online on various sponsors’ websites. The event can still be viewed on websites like DodgeGarage.com and MotorTrend's YouTube channel.

"The eighth edition of MotorTrend presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge featured fresh new event elements, with a unique new downtown Pontiac event location, a new team format that increased the smack talk for the Direct Connection Grudge Race and an amazing performance by a world-famous artist to wrap up the day," said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge brand and Ram brand CEO - Stellantis. "The bar just keeps getting higher and higher for our annual horsepower circus, because we know it's what drives our Brotherhood of Muscle."

Street Legal Drag Strip

The corner of Woodward and West Pike Street went through an overnight transformation to become a legal public-road dragstrip for some of America’s quickest street cars. After watching the professionals race, spectators had the opportunity to experience the excitement of racing with Dodge Hellcat drift rides and hot laps.

The Big Tire (over 275mm width) and Small Tire (275mm width and under) classes saw competitors battling for bragging rights and cash prizes on the brand-new drag strip at the corner of Woodward Avenue and W. Pike St. in Pontiac. Each class winner earned $5,000, with the fastest Dodge cars in both classes taking home another $5,000 each.

Additional activities included a Dodge Direct Connection Alley area with Dodge Challenger SRT virtual drag race simulators, Direct Connection crate engines, project vehicles and parts displays, Dodge Hellcat drift rides and hot laps, car cruise-in with classic and modern muscle cars, a display of the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept, RC car demonstrations, a Dodge Hornet ride area, music and entertainment.

“For the eighth straight year, we’ve brought car culture to life for gearheads at MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge, and this year we elevated the experience to unprecedented heights,” says Eric Schwab, MotorTrend Group’s Group SVP, Head of Revenue, Operations, and Partnerships. “With a new location in downtown Pontiac, we expanded and drew a record-breaking attendance of more than 42,000 automotive fans, treating them to a pulse-pounding day of white-knuckle drag racing, adrenaline-infused thrill rides, and a show-stopping musical extravaganza headlined by none other than Ice Cube, delivering on the excitement that Roadkill Nights promises year over year.”

How Fans Can Still Experience Roadkill Nights

Fans unable to attend MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge joined the fun by watching the event Livestream, which can still be found on Dodge.com, DodgeGarage.com, Dodge’s YouTube channel, MotorTrend's YouTube channel and MotorTrend's video streaming service as event replays. Two half-hour Roadkill episodes will air on MotorTrend television in late 2023. Fans can also access additional post-event coverage at DodgeGarage.com.

The Woodward Dream Cruise, the world’s largest one-day automotive event will take place on Saturday, August 19th, 2023. More than 40,000 classic vehicles and 1 million people are expected to attend. More information on the 2023 Woodward Dream Cruise is available here.

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Mary Conway is a professional automotive journalist and has decades of experience specializing in automotive news analysis. She covered the Detroit Three for more than twenty years for the ABC affiliate, in Detroit. Her affection for the Motor City comes naturally. Her father ran a gas station while Mary was growing up, in Wisconsin.

Follow Mary Conway at @MaryConwayMedia and send her car news tips for future stories.