{"id":54180,"date":"2021-08-11T17:00:56","date_gmt":"2021-08-11T21:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/?p=54180"},"modified":"2024-03-25T11:21:07","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T15:21:07","slug":"were-baaaack-roadkill-nights-powered-by-dodge-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/events\/2021\/08\/were-baaaack-roadkill-nights-powered-by-dodge-2021.html","title":{"rendered":"We\u2019re Baaaack!!! Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Have you ever engaged in a street race? If so, you\u2019re not alone. But let\u2019s not kid ourselves, street racing is dangerous and about as illegal and socially irresponsible as it gets. But what if there was a magical place where you could choose opponents, do smoky burnouts and blast off the line without worry of harming others or getting arrested and kissing your driver\u2019s license goodbye?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s what Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge is all about, and on Saturday, August 14, hundreds of street racers will let it all hang out \u2013 without risking a night in jail. Better still, the traction action runs all day, from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. with lots of comfortable spectator seating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the first event in 2015, the folks at MotorTrend \/ Roadkill and Dodge convinced the city fathers of Pontiac, Michigan, to close off a roughly half-mile section of Woodward Avenue for \u2026 you guessed it \u2026 sanctioned street racing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And every year since then, with the exception of 2020 due to\nCOVID restrictions, hundreds of racers and thousands of spectators \u2013 like\nnearly fifty thousand<\/em> – have gathered\nat Pontiac\u2019s M1 Concourse \u2013 and that all-important section of Woodward Avenue next\nto it \u2013 for street racing, Roadkill Nights style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the event is largely sponsored by Dodge, as Dodge Brand Chief Officer – Stellantis, Tim Kuniskis says, \u201cThe Brotherhood of Muscle spoke \u2026 and we brought it back.\u201d Kuniskis, who built and dragged a fast Fox-body Ford Mustang 5.0 in earlier days, knows that without competition from GM, Ford and import machinery, there\u2019s no party. So drivers of every make of go-fast vehicles are welcome at Roadkill Nights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an added bonus this year, the Dodge Hellcat Grudge Race puts Eric Malone, star of MotorTrend\u2019s Fastest Cars In The Dirty South<\/i> TV series in the crosshairs of teams of contenders seeking to win the $10,000 cash prize. Each team will race an SRT\u00ae<\/sup> Hellcat engine-powered Charger or Challenger that\u2019s been modified in no-holds-barred, run what ya brung match race style. Horsepower isn\u2019t the main challenge. It\u2019ll be more about which team can stick that power to the surface of Woodward Avenue!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the exciting street racing, the M1 Concourse grounds play host to the Dodge Thrill Ride caravan where folks take shotgun-seat rides in SRT Hellcat HEMI\u00ae<\/sup> engine-powered vehicles on the road course and drift pad and drag fans can test their skills aboard the Demon Drag Strip Simulators. There\u2019s also a car show \u2013 open to all makes \u2013 a manufacturer\u2019s midway and plenty of food and drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your author (that\u2019d be me, Steve \u201cScat Pack\u201d Magnante) will be hosting the all-day podcast from the side of the Woodward Avenue starting line where I\u2019ve had the honor of calling the action since 2017. In my three years of hosting, I\u2019ve had the pleasure of witnessing \u2013 and describing to the podcast audience \u2013 the sight of NHRA Top Fuel superstar Leah Pritchett waiting in her 8,000-plus-horsepower Papa John\u2019s Pizza \/ Dodge sponsored HEMI dragster as an Amtrak passenger train slowly crept through the impromptu Woodward Avenue bleach box (which is situated right next to a very active railroad crossing). I also watched warily as TV showman Richard \u201cFast and Loud\u201d Rawlings inadvertently soaked his SRT Hellcat Challenger\u2019s rear tires with water before launching on a squirrely, tire-spinning run that bounced the Challenger off the median barrier on one wheel <\/em>before settling back to earth. He wasn\u2019t hurt but the video clip went viral in seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m looking forward to seeing \u2013 and describing \u2013 all of the cars and races that\u2019ll take place on Saturday, August 14. You can still secure your tickets for this year\u2019s event<\/a>, but if you can\u2019t be there in person, you can view all the action LIVE right here on DodgeGarage.com all day. Yes, we\u2019re going street racing on Woodward Avenue! But this time there\u2019s no need to call the bail bondsman! See you there; and until then, check out these sights from previous years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2016<\/h2>\n\n\n\n