One of the nation’s premier automotive festivals is back, and organizers say this year’s lineup is the biggest yet.
Roadkill Nights returns to M1 Concourse in Pontiac on Saturday, Aug. 8, running from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Now in its 11th year, the event draws car enthusiasts from across the country for a rare opportunity: legal street racing on Woodward Avenue.
Karen Brown, Vice President of Events and Experiential Marketing for MotorTrend said the event is designed for all ages and interests. It is, she said, “a family-style festival with racing and vendors and merchandise and a whole bunch of fun activities for everybody.”
Attendees can expect “racing here on Woodward Avenue,” Brown said, noting organizers have also “added a new track shootout on the inside of M1 Concourse,” with “food trucks, celebrities, all sorts of activities for anyone of any age. Kids 12 and under are free.”
For the new closed-course shootout, Brown said, “we’ve got about 75 racers coming out so fans can go take a seat at it. We built them a 20-foot viewing platform to watch the race.” She also confirmed that “Ram is going to be here with us this year. They’re bringing out some NASCAR trucks along with some of their drivers.”
David Freiburger, a co-creator of the Roadkill franchise, called it the “largest event of its type, meaning street-legal drag racing, actually legal on Woodward Avenue, and everybody from around the country wants to come to this deal, so it just keeps on growing.”
Freiburger said the event carries deep historical resonance for automotive fans. “There’s so much legacy here with the OE car manufacturers testing their cars illegally way back in the ’60s, and now we’re doing it legally.”
A major draw this year is the Dodge-sponsored Grudge Match celebrity race. “This whole thing is powered by Dodge,” Freiburger said. “That is the brand new Charger with the Hurricane twin turbo inline-6 engines. They’ve given them to a bunch of celebrities who have built these cars up, and they’re doing heads-up drag racing here for the win.”
Freiburger added that fans can also expect “a big tire shootout, small tire shootout” and “a bunch of well-known celebrities off of the internet and TV coming to do a Dodge influencer race. It’s going to be a good time.”
Free shuttle parking is available at UWM, with drop-off at the front entrance. Tickets are available at this link.