Fourth Annual Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge Continues to Draw Tens of Thousands of Enthusiasts to Street-legal Drag Racing on Woodward Avenue

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FCA US LLC

Aug 14, 2018, 12:00 ET

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Aug. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Fourth-annual Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge continues to draw tens of thousands of enthusiasts to street-legal drag racing on Woodward Avenue.

Bigger than ever, more than 44,000 enthusiasts celebrated performance car culture at the fourth annual car festival located at M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan
Woodward Avenue transformed into a specially prepped 1/8-mile drag strip for legal street racing
128 street-legal cars competed in high-powered drag racing, which featured two classes, Big Tire and Small Tire, and a cash purse of $30,000

Heavy rains ended the races early, so 16 total finalists split $20,000 in cash prizes
Quickest Dodge (Small Tire): Peter Bokedon from Michigan: 1972 Dodge Dart took home a $5,000 prize
Quickest Dodge (Big Tire): James Pranis from Pennsylvania: 1968 Dodge Charger took home a $5,000 prize

As part of the overall $40,000 purse, the largest cash purse ever offered at Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge, $10,000 was awarded to Bill Goldberg in the celebrity showdown race, who donated the winnings to his charity Ahero, which connects veterans with patriotic members of local communities by organizing outdoor events and social activities
Leah Pritchett in her Top Fuel Dragster and Matt Hagan in his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat NHRA Funny Car wowed the crowd with exhibition runs
Fans from all over tuned in to the livestream of Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, totaling 4.1 million views of the event
Roadkill Nights is an event produced by ROADKILL, a brand of Motor Trend Group, with a hit show that delivers a one-of-a-kind taste of "Automotive Chaos Theory" on the Motor Trend App and Velocity network

It never gets old. In fact, interest continues to grow as this year's Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge attracted more than 44,000 enthusiasts from around the country to watch and participate in legal street racing on historic Woodward Avenue.

"Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge is an absolute larger-than-life event that represents what Dodge is all about: power, performance and excitement," said Steve Beahm, Head of Passenger Car Brands – Dodge//SRT, Chrysler, and FIAT, FCA – North America. "Going beyond the need for speed, this event offers an incredible opportunity for pure enthusiasts to come together and share their passion for classic and performance car culture in a sanctioned environment."

In addition to cash prizes for the fastest racing finalists and Dodge cars on the drag strip, the fourth annual car festival gave passionate car enthusiasts the chance to get in the passenger seat of a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat or Challenger SRT Hellcat for thrill rides and drift rides. Challenger SRT Demon simulators ranked those with the fastest virtual ¼-mile times. The car festival also included a chance to check out more than 250 custom and classic cars in a show 'n shine and to watch freestyle motocross dyno, flamethrowers and wheelstander exhibitions. Leah Pritchett in her Top Fuel Dragster and Matt Hagan in his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat NHRA Funny Car wowed the crowd with an exhibition run. Bill Goldberg won the celebrity showdown challenge, taking the $10,000 prize home to his charity Ahero, which connects veterans with patriotic members of local communities by organizing outdoor events and social activities.

"Only the combination of Dodge, the City of Pontiac and a worldwide car phenomenon, such as ROADKILL, can create an event with such amazing energy and atmosphere for so many passionate automotive superfans," said Motor Trend Group Automotive Events Senior Director Michael Deer. "We appreciate everyone joining us this year for another epic event."

128 street-legal cars hit the specially prepped 1/8-mile drag strip on Woodward Avenue between Rapid Street and South Boulevard to compete in high-powered drag racing for cash prizes. Racing ended early due to heavy rains, so the top 16 total finalists split $20,000. The quickest Dodge cars in both the small and large tire categories also took home $5,000 each.

Quickest Dodge

James Pranis, Pennsylvania: 1968 Dodge Charger (Big Tire)
Peter Bokedon, Michigan: 1972 Dodge Dart (Small Tire)

Top 8 Finalists (Big Tire)

Gary Box, Ohio: 1965 Chevrolet Corvette
Craig Groebner, Minnesota: 1971 Chevrolet Nova
Leon Hudson, Virginia: 1965 Plymouth Barracuda
Jimmer Kline, Michigan: 1966 Pontiac GTO
Jim Kline III, Michigan: 1996 Chevrolet Arcadian
Mike Mislivec, Michigan: 1982 Pontiac Trans AM
Bryan Rosario, Michigan: 1972 Chevrolet Camaro
Mark McGill, Michigan: 1978 Chevrolet Camaro

Top 8 Finalists (Small Tire)

Peter Bokedon, Michigan: 1972 Dodge Dart
William Gill, Michigan: 1966 Shelby Cobra
Adam Hodson, Indiana: 1973 Chevrolet Camaro
Kenny Laflower, Indiana: 1970 AMC Javelin
John Lopez, Ohio: 1988 Ford Mustang
Justin Spiniolas, Illinois: 1991 GMC Sonoma
Carl Stancell, Michigan: 1984 Chevrolet s10 Blazer
Rick Steinke, Pennsylvania: 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle

Fans from all over tuned in to the livestream of Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, totaling 4.1 million views of the event.

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 the most viewed YouTube automotive original series in the United States, Roadkill Nights branded events, and Roadkill Extra and Roadkill Garage shows, available exclusively on Motor Trend.

About Motor Trend Group
Motor Trend Group is the largest automotive media company in the world, bringing together Discovery's fast-growing Velocity network and a vast automotive digital, direct-to-consumer, social and live event portfolio, including MOTOR TREND, HOT ROD, ROADKILL, AUTOMOBILE and more than 20 other industry-leading brands. With a cumulative reach of more than 131 million, the company encompasses television's #1 network for automotive superfans, a leading automotive YouTube Channel and the Motor Trend app, the only auto-dedicated subscription video-on-demand service.

About Dodge//SRT
Dodge//SRT offers a complete lineup of performance vehicles that stand out in their own segments. Dodge is America's mainstream 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, the Challenger R/T Scat Pack Widebody, which features fender flares from the SRT Hellcat Widebody and adds 3.5 inches of width to Scat Pack's footprint, as well as and the new Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320. Infused 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. fills out the brands' 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.

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