June 20, 2019
, Auburn Hills, Mich.
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Returning to kick off cruise week for 2019, MotorTrend Group’s “Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge” is growing even bigger this year with the addition of Friday night activities, while bringing back legal street drag racing that will lay some rubber down on the iconic Woodward Avenue pavement on Saturday. With exhilarating experiences, including thrill rides in the 717-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and the 707-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat models, more participants in the celebrity showdown races, and an overall $40,000 purse with $10,000 going toward United Way, this year’s event is set to deliver more high-octane horsepower and excitement than ever before.
For the fifth year, “Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge” celebrates the Motor City’s automotive culture with its popular legal street drag racing, classic and modern muscle car show, and other fun-filled activities that will take over the M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan. The “Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge” is the traditional kick off to southeast Michigan’s weeklong celebration of classic cars and car culture.
“Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge continues to grow each year since we introduced this event five years ago, so we’re answering enthusiast demand by adding a day of fun so even more people can participate in the celebration of America’s muscle car culture,” said Mark Malmstead – Head of Dodge//SRT Marketing. “It’s also a great opportunity for participants to race in a sanctioned environment on historic Woodward Ave.”
Spectator tickets, Show ‘n Shine participation and package information, as well as drag racing applications, are available now at hotrod.com/events/roadkillnights.
With the new addition of Friday night activities, fans will meet the drivers of some of the fastest street legal drag cars in America and watch historic Woodward Avenue transform from a street into a drag strip. On Saturday, drag racing returns with two classes, Big Tire and Small Tire, competing for a cash purse of $30,000. As part of the overall $40,000 purse, $10,000 will be awarded to United Way. Both drag racing classes will have the same payout structure with $15,000 as the total purse per class:
- Winner – $5,000
- Runner Up – $1,500
- Semi Finalists – $750 (2 payouts)
- Quarter Finalists – $500 (4 payouts)
- Fastest Dodge-powered vehicle – $5,000
Dodge Thrill Ride experiences in the 717-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and 707-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat models will again be in two locations within the M1 Concourse to keep the momentum going. Attendees will have the opportunity to go for the ride of their lives as the supercharged HEMI® will punish tires and have them begging for mercy on both the M1 Concourse skid pad and north loop portion of the track.
There will be even more celebrities participating in showdown races this year. Leah Pritchett in her Dodge/Mopar Top Fuel Dragster and Matt Hagan in his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car will once again heat up the pavement on Woodard Avenue. Other returning fan favorites include the high-octane virtual head-to-head racing in Dodge Challenger SRT Demon simulators; classic and modern muscle car show; dyno testing; “Roadkill” stunts; flamethrower and wheelstander exhibitions; family-friendly Kid’s Zone activities; and an eclectic array of food truck offerings.
The drag racing will include numerous TV celebrities battling it out down Woodward Avenue for bragging rights. These include MotorTrend’s hugely popular series “Roadkill” co-hosts David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan. Chris Jacobs of MotorTrend’s Overhaulin’ will emcee the activities, while Brian Lohnes of the NHRA will emcee the drag races. Additional industry celebrity attendees include Cristy Lee and Bogi Lateiner of All Girls Garage, Bill Carlton of Texas Metal, Joe Martin, Amanda Martin and Jayson “Shag” Arrington of Iron Resurrection, Dave Kindig and Kevin Schiele of Bitchin’ Rides, and Jared Zimmerman and Lou Santiago of Car Fix.
“Roadkill Nights truly brings the thrill of finger-clenching, top-speed drag racing to life on Woodward Avenue, which is why we love to bring this event to our Roadkill fans,” Freiburger said. “Going on our fifth year, we’re adding activities on Friday night so there’s more time for everyone — drag racers, families, foodies and anyone who is looking to have a great day or evening filled with unparalleled fun at an iconic location.”
Gates are open for “Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge” on Friday from 3 p.m to 9 p.m. Drift thrill rides will also be available from 3 p.m. to 9 pm. On Saturday, gates are open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. with Dodge Thrill Rides taking place from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and drag racing beginning at 11 a.m.
Roadkill Nights Registration Information
General admission to the event is $10 per person, per day; $5 per person for Pontiac residents ($5 price available on-site only). Children 12 years and under are free. Two-day passes area available for $20.
Full details for spectator tickets, car show registration, participant registration for drag racing and an extensive range of packages are available now at hotrod.com/events/roadkillnights.
Roadkill Nights is an event produced by ROADKILL, a brand of MotorTrend Group, with a hit show that delivers a one-of-a-kind taste of “Automotive Chaos Theory” on the MotorTrend App and MotorTrend Network.
For more information on Roadkill and Roadkill Nights, follow on Facebook at facebook.com/roadkillshow or on Twitter at twitter.com/roadkillshow. Fans can follow the action for Roadkill Nights with hashtags #RoadkillNights and #PoweredByDodge.
Street racing can have serious legal and safety risks. Both ROADKILL and Dodge want enthusiasts to enjoy performance driving in a safe, controlled environment, run by professionals with vehicle safety inspections, driver evaluations and track safety.
About ROADKILL
The ROADKILL brand delivers a one-of-a-kind taste of “Automotive Chaos Theory” and features authentic gearheads David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan in a variety of mediums, including Roadkill Nights branded events, and Roadkill, Roadkill Extra, Roadkill Garage, and Roadkill’s Junkyard Gold shows, available on the MotorTrend App.
About MotorTrend Group
MotorTrend Group is the largest automotive media company in the world, bringing together Discovery’s fast-growing MotorTrend TV, formerly Velocity, and a vast automotive digital, direct-to-consumer, social, and live event portfolio, including MOTORTREND, HOT ROD, ROADKILL, AUTOMOBILE, and more than 20 other industry-leading brands. With a monthly audience of 26 million across web, TV, and print, and 110 million social followers, culminating in 2 billion monthly content views across all platforms, the company encompasses television’s #1 network for automotive superfans, a leading automotive YouTube Channel, and the MotorTrend app, the only auto-dedicated subscription video-on-demand service. MotorTrend serves to embrace, entertain, and empower the motoring world.
About Dodge//SRT
Dodge//SRT offers a complete lineup of performance vehicles that stand out in their own segments. Dodge is America’s performance brand and SRT is positioned as the ultimate performance halo of the Dodge brand, together creating a complete and balanced performance brand with one vision and one voice.
For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge, who founded the brand in 1914. Their influence continues today. New for 2019, the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye is possessed by the Demon. Its 797-horsepower supercharged HEMI® high-output engine makes it the most powerful, quickest and fastest muscle car, reaching 0-60 miles per hour (mph) in 3.4 seconds, and the fastest GT production car with a ¼-mile elapsed time (ET) of 10.8 seconds at 131 mph. It also reaches a new top speed of 203 mph.
Joining the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye is the 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, with its more powerful 717-horsepower engine, and the Challenger R/T Scat Pack Widebody, featuring fender flares from the SRT Hellcat Widebody, which add 3.5 inches of width to the 485-horsepower Scat Pack’s standard body. Also new for 2019 is the Challenger R/T Scat Pak 1320 with exclusive drag strip technology from the iconic Dodge Challenger SRT Demon. The Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 is a drag-oriented, street-legal muscle car and a blank canvas for the serious grassroots drag racer. The 2019 Dodge Durango SRT, America’s fastest, most powerful and most capable three-row SUV with a best-in-class tow rating of 8,700 lbs., completes the brand’s performance lineup. These visceral performance models join a 2019 brand lineup that includes the Durango, Grand Caravan, Journey, Charger and Challenger — a showroom that offers performance at every price point.
Follow Dodge, SRT and FCA US news and video on:
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Dodge blog: blog.dodge.com
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