Seventh Edition of 'Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge' Sets One-day Attendance Record, Draws 40,000-plus Spectators to M1 Concourse

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Aug 15, 2022, 14:15 ET

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Aug. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --

MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge marks seventh year by setting a one-day attendance record of 40,000-plus performance lovers filling M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan
Enthusiasts gather to witness street-legal drag racing on historic Woodward Avenue
Alex Taylor protects her title, becoming the two-time Grudge Race champion by defeating Westen Champlin in the final round of the Dodge Direct Connection Grudge Race
Big Tire and Small Tire Classes see more than 100 competitors battling for bragging rights and cash prizes totaling $30,000 on the unique 1/8-mile Woodward Avenue drag strip
Quickest Dodge honors earned by Lenny Melton (Big Tire) and Peter Bokedon (Small Tire)
Joe Barry drives to Big Tire class crown
Mikael Borggren claims Small Tire victory
Event replay available on MotorTrend YouTube channel
Event coverage to air a half-hour Roadkill Nights special on MotorTrend TV, MotorTrend+, and MotorTrend's YouTube channel, with an hour-long episode as part of MotorTrend's Roadkill TV series
Fans can view post-event coverage at DodgeGarage.com

Back for year seven, MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge staged an exhilarating return to Woodward Avenue on Saturday, August 13, drawing a one-day attendance record of more than 40,000 performance enthusiasts to M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan, along with more than a million online views, for the popular one-day festival of street-legal drag racing.

"This is the seventh year of MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge and what a difference -- we've gone from racing in the parking lot of an abandoned stadium to legal street drag racing on historic Woodward Avenue, with M1 Concourse serving as an amazing stage for our horsepower circus," said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge brand chief executive officer – Stellantis. "It was great seeing thousands of Dodge enthusiasts come out to the event and cheer Alex Taylor as she defended her crown and took the win in the Dodge Direction Connection Grudge Race. We're going to give performance lovers even more to cheer about as we push the pedal on Dodge Speed Week, with three separate nights of worldwide product reveals and a full brand display on Woodward Avenue during Dream Cruise weekend on August 20."

Historic Woodward Avenue's overnight transformation into a 1/8-mile straight-line dragstrip hosted 115 street-legal drag racers, while spectators had the chance to get their adrenaline pumping with thrill and drift rides in Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger SRT Hellcats and Ram TRX trucks on the M1 Concourse.

Back for 2022, RoadKill Nights leveled up last year's Grudge Race, adding a new spin to the Dodge Direct Connection Grudge Match. Eight automotive personalities faced off for a chance to take on 2021 champion, Alex Taylor, on the drag strip. All nine competitors – Tavarish, Westen Champlin, throtl, Christina Roki, Demonology, Corruptt Builds, Collete Davis, David Patterson, and Alex Taylor— received the challenge of building and running a Direct Connection crate engine that they could modify as they pleased, however, they had the added challenge of competing with a Direct Connection six-speed manual transmission, and within a $10,000 budget.

Defending champion, drag racer, mechanic and co-host of MotorTrend's Hot Rod Garage Taylor matched her 1955 Plymouth Savoy against the 2016 Dodge Challenger of Champlin, who beat out seven other automotive builders in eliminations for the right to face Taylor in the finals. It was Taylor taking the win again, launching strong and outrunning Champlin to the finish stripe.

"There was definitely a target on my back and heavy pressure," said Taylor, who came into the Dodge Direct Connection Grudge Race knowing a mix of eight returning and rookie competitors were aiming to snatch away her crown. "For me, this is something that I take and hold near and dear to my heart, drag racing and coming out to this event specifically. Coming into it, we busted our butts, and it was the most grueling month, but to come back and actually hold the title again, it's indescribable and a weight has been lifted off my shoulders."

The Big Tire (tire size–unlimited as long as it is DOT approved front and rear) and Small Tire (tire size–non "W" 28 x 10.5 x 15 or smaller DOT Drag Radial) classes saw 115 competitors battling for bragging rights and cash prizes totaling $30,000 on the iconic 1/8-mile Woodward Avenue drag strip, with unique urban features including an active railway located just behind the starting line. Each class winner earned $10,000, with the quickest Dodge cars in both classes taking home $5,000 each.

MotorTrend Presents RoadKill Nights Powered by Dodge: Race Results

Big Tire Racing Results
Joe Barry, Colorado Springs, Colorado – 1956 Chevrolet 210
Lenny Melton, Salisbury, North Carolina – 1956 Dodge Dart

Small Tire Racing Results
Mikael Borggren, Northville, Michigan – 1987 Volvo Wagon
Tony Karamitsos, Mishawaka, Indiana – 1969 Chevrolet Camaro

Additional activities included a Direct Connection Alley area at the event with Dodge Challenger SRT Demon virtual drag race simulators, Direct Connection crate engines and parts on display; a "First Responder Showdown" between Southeast Michigan fire and rescue teams; a classic/modern muscle car show with more than 260 vehicles, and Jim Brewer's "Peacemaker" wheelstander and motorcycle exhibition by Rae Ripple. Pontiac Mayor Tim Greimel and Auburn Hills Mayor Kevin McDaniel, squared off in a head-to-head dragstrip showdown with Mayor Greimel winning the challenge.

"Roadkill Nights brings 'Roadkill' inspired car culture to life with the thrill of fingers-clenching, top-speed drag racing, which is why 40,000 performance enthusiasts flooded the gates this year," says Eric Schwab, MotorTrend Group's Group SVP, head of revenue, operations, and partnerships. "There's something for everyone at Roadkill Nights—drag racers, performance enthusiasts, families, and anyone who is simply looking to have a great day at an iconic location."

Fans unable to attend MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge had the luxury of enjoying a Livestream of the event. For those who missed it, an event replay can be seen on the MotorTrend YouTube channel. Two half-hour Roadkill episodes will air on MotorTrend television, with additional coverage in an hour-long episode of MotorTrend's Roadkill TV series. Fans can access additional post-event coverage at DodgeGarage.com.

MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge: By The Numbers

1 Million+ online views
40,000+ MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge attendees
4,100+ Dodge thrill/drift rides/simulator rides
260+ car show vehicles
Approximately 200 pounds of compound used to prep drag strip surface
115 drag racing competitors
1/8-mile, in length, of Woodward Avenue drag strip

Street racing can have serious legal and safety risks. Both MotorTrend 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.

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 MotorTrend+.

MotorTrend Group
MotorTrend Group, a Warner Bros. Discovery company, is the largest automotive media company in the world, bringing together Warner Bros. Discovery's MotorTrend TV 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 monthly audience of 26 million across web, TV and print, and 110 million social followers, culminating in 1.3 billion monthly impressions across all platforms, MotorTrend Group encompasses television's #1 network for automotive fans, a leading automotive YouTube Channel and MotorTrend+, the only subscription streaming service dedicated entirely to the motoring world. MotorTrend Group serves to embrace, entertain and empower the motoring world.

Dodge//SRT
For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with muscle cars and SUVs that deliver unrivaled performance in each of the segments where they compete.

Dodge drives forward as a pure performance brand, offering SRT versions of every model across the lineup. For the 2022 model year, Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, the 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world, and the Dodge Durango SRT 392, America's fastest, most powerful and most capable three-row SUV. Combined, these three muscle cars make Dodge the industry's most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other American brand across its entire lineup.

In 2020, Dodge was named the "#1 Brand in Initial Quality," making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). In 2021, the Dodge brand ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market), making it the only domestic brand ever to do so two years in a row.

Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

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