If you live in Metro Detroit, get ready for one of the noisiest, and most fun, weekends in the summer. No, we aren’t talking about Fourth of July. We’re talking about Roadkill Nights.
Sponsored by MotorTrend and Dodge, and regularly drawing over 40,000 people, the street-legal drag-racing event is back for round number ten. The raucous celebration of American horsepower will be held on Woodward Avenue and Pike Street in downtown Pontiac on Saturday, August 9. The centerpiece is an eighth-mile section of “Woodward Ave”—with water box, VHT-prepped starting box, lasers, and all. Last year, the fastest cars in the small-tire class ran in the low 5-second range; those in the big-tire class, the high 4s.
If you’re a fan of cars, you don’t need much more information than “drag racing” to get you excited. But two things make Roadkill Nights extra special: The venue and the festival-like environment.
Detroit’s Woodward Avenue is holy ground for muscle-car fans. The 27-mile divided highway runs straight and flat from Pontiac, Michigan, to the Detroit Riverfront, and both automotive engineers and regular Joes alike raced from stoplight to stoplight along it in the ’60s. (One of the more infamous contenders was a black Challenger known as the Black Ghost—read its tale here.) Such competition was, of course, illegal. Roadkill Nights brings street-racing on Woodward into the light of day—and onto the right side of the law. Local government, emergency services, police, and event coordinators work together to throw one big, noisy party.
Roadkill Nights attracts some seriously talented amateur drag racers. Many build their own cars for grueling events like Drag Week or Sick Week, which are basically like progressive dinners, only with racing—where each course is a different drag strip, and every house is in a different state. (Oh, and your tow vehicle is your race car.) There is only so much time to catch up with each other in one of those drag-racing odysseys. The atmosphere at Roadkill, however, provides plenty of time between runs to stroll the lines of contenders and catch up with friends. Whenever we stroll the lines of competitors lining the strip, the atmosphere is always relaxed and festive.
Drag racing is the main event of Roadkill Nights, no question, but all the ancillary events and attractions elevate Roadkill Nights into a festival. Music, food trucks, thrill rides in new Dodges, and a massive car show make this a hub for all things car in the Detroit area on the second Saturday in August.
General admission begins at $25, though you can pay more for more perks and better access. (Here’s the link to buy tickets.) Trust us, though—you don’t need to spend a ton of money to have a good time at Roadkill Nights. Just bring anybody who doesn’t mind loud noises and loves a good time. Remember to wear comfy shoes, don’t forget the sunscreen … oh, and leave the pets at home.
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