More than 12,000 folks jammed the Silverdome parking lot watch day-long street racing. Now they'll see it on a real street: Woodward Avenue.

Every August the Detroit suburbs along Woodward Avenue roar to life with the sounds and smells of muscle cars, punctuated with the occasional squeal of smoking tires, which was illegal … until now.

Fiat Chrysler is teaming up with the bloggers at Roadkill for a night of “flashlight” street racing on Aug. 19, for the second edition of “Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge.” Last year’s event gave the winner the vaunted powerplant for the Hellcat line of vehicles.

The inaugural event kicked off last year in the parking lot of the Silverdome, the former home of the Detroit Lions, and drew more than 12,000 people. It now moves to a larger location called the M1 Concourse in downtown Pontiac and – with the blessing of local governmental agencies – it includes actual street racing with a cash purse of $19,000.

“Woodward is one of (if not the) most famous ‘Muscle Car Corridors’ in the country and, as far as we know, this is the first time ever that street racing on it will be legal,” said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Cars, Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and Fiat – FCA, North America.

(Automakers turn to the Woodward Dream Cruise to hawk parts and upgrades. Click Here for more.)

“Drag racers will be able to show their muscle when Woodward is closed from South Boulevard to Rapid Street in Pontiac to create what is sure to be an epic kick off to the weekend’s cruise events.”

Brandon Phillips won last year's inaugural Roadkill Night in Pontiac, Michigan.

The first event last year saw thousands bring out their Mopar-inspired rides to race along the bumpy, one-eighth mile-long track. The winner of last year’s races, Brandon Phillips, took home a new 707-horsepower Hellcat engine. He took top honors in a final that pitted his 1969 Dodge Challenger Super Bee 446 Pack against a 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins diesel.

Leading the races will be David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan, co-hosts of Roadkill, which claims to be the most-viewed YouTube automotive original series in the world.

(Click Here for more about makers at last year’s Woodward Dream Cruise.)

“This event is uniquely Roadkill. We are racing in a spot no one else would dare to run all in the name of fun. Show up and you’ll see Roadkill cars, come and spend time with us and have the time of your life,” Freiburger said.

Additional celebrity guest appearances include Richard Rawlings of Dallas, Texas-based Gas Monkey Garage and the Discovery Channel’s “Fast N’ Loud” TV show. Last year’s event, featured a race between the Roadkill and Gas Monkey Garage, with the Texans crushing the YouTubers.

(Life’s a drag, says Mopar. To find out how much of a drag, or how fast, Click Here.)

The event is open from noon to 10 p.m., and has plenty of things to do if watching muscle cars roll by gets tiring, including thrill rides in Dodge Viper, Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and Charger SRT Hellcat vehicles, a Show ‘n’ Shine area, Roadkill stunts and exhibitions, as well as live music, food trucks and much more.

Don't miss out!
Get Email Alerts
Receive the latest Automotive News in your Inbox!
Invalid email address
Give it a try. You can unsubscribe at any time.