MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge Celebrates 10th Year: Returns to Downtown Pontiac With Street-legal Drag Racing on Woodward, Announces Direct Connection Grudge Race Lineup

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ --

• MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge heads back to downtown Pontiac on Saturday, August 9 with street-legal drag racing set to return to Woodward Avenue
• Dodge Direct Connection Grudge Race headlines Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge for the fifth consecutive year with new "Outlaw" format
• Street-legal drag-racing and car culture festival features drag-racing competition in Big Tire/Small Tire classes, Dodge Thrill Rides, massive car show and hands-on experiences for gearheads of all ages
• Grassroots event, first held in parking lot of Pontiac Silverdome in 2015, marks a decade in 2025 as Dodge brand's biggest enthusiast event
• New Dodge products to make their debut at Dodge brand's annual horsepower festival
• Get Your Ass in Gear sweepstakes at Life.Dodge.com and WearMopar.com features chance to win trip to Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge, along with other perks
• Tickets to MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge start at $25 and are available now for purchase at www.hotrod.com/roadkillnights, with a variety of ticket packages available

MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge is coming to downtown Pontiac, marking a decade of the brand's annual horsepower celebration and bringing street-legal drag racing action back to Metro Detroit's famed Woodward Avenue on Saturday, August 9.

Dodge is also revealing the slate of six racers/online automotive builders who will match up in the tire-screaming Dodge Direct Connection Grudge Race, which headlines Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge race day for the fifth consecutive year, with a new "Outlaw" format.

"Dodge is bringing street-legal drag racing back to where it belongs during our iconic Roadkill Nights Powered Dodge event, and that's right on Woodward Avenue," said Dodge CEO Matt McAlear. "We are marking a decade of partnering with MotorTrend on our premier event by returning to Pontiac's downtown district, where the community can really experience Dodge performance with our new product reveals, thrill rides, drag racing, a massive car show, manufacturers midway and more."

The 10th edition of MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge moves the action back to Woodward and Pike St. right in the heart of Pontiac, which hosted the Dodge brand's horsepower gathering in 2023. Competitors will have the unique chance to battle for bragging rights in street-legal drag racing on historic Woodward Avenue, while fans can enjoy downtown Pontiac's expanded event footprint.

"We are extremely pleased that Roadkill Nights will mark 10 years of celebrating automotive excellence in Pontiac," said Mayor Tim Greimel. "Our business corridor and the Woodward Loop will serve as the perfect midway for tens of thousands of auto enthusiasts with a need for speed to enjoy all of the food, fun and entertainment this event and Dodge have to offer."

MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge was born in 2015 as a grassroots event held in the parking lot of the now-demolished Pontiac Silverdome and has since evolved to become a can't-miss date circled on the calendars of performance-lovers in Metro Detroit and far beyond.

"MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge is more than just an event—it's a celebration of horsepower, heritage and the passionate community that makes car culture so special," said Eric Schwab, group SVP, MotorTrend. "For a decade, we've transformed the streets of Pontiac into a proving ground for street-legal drag racing, and there's no better place than Pontiac and Woodward Avenue to honor that legacy. MotorTrend is proud to stand alongside Dodge and our die-hard fans as we mark 10 years of tire smoke, engine roar and unforgettable memories."

Tickets for MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge are available now starting at $25 with a variety of ticket packages available.

More information on MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge, including additional event details and information on celebrity appearances, will be shared in July at DodgeGarage.com and at Hotrod.com/roadkill-nights.

Dodge Direct Connection Grudge Race Returns With Outlaw Format
The fan-fave Dodge Direct Connection Grudge Race is back to fire up MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge for the fifth consecutive year, this time with a new "Outlaw" format for the drag race showdown that pits online automotive builders against one another using engines and parts from Direct Connection, the official performance parts brand of Dodge.

Adding to the raw, grassroots energy and DIY spirit of the Grudge Race, competitors will use a Direct Connection HurriCrate engine based on the high-output 3.0L Hurricane Twin Turbo engine, and a TorqueFlite8-DC1 transmission, to turn whatever they like into a winning race car, with no rules against using competitive makes. This year's Grudge Race promises more smoke, speed and smack talk than ever before, with competitors including:

• Demi Bagby: 24-year-old Bagby is an athlete whose passions include sports, fitness, racing and philanthropy, and her love for all things automotive has skyrocketed over the years. Bagby will battle in a 1987 Grand National and join the other four rookies in trying to take down defending champ Morgan Evans
• Garrett Dobbs: Dobbs' true passion lives at the drag strip. He's the proud owner, mechanic and racer of a 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. Dobbs brings grit and precision to every part of racing and will compete in a 2005 Dodge Magnum
• Morgan Evans: Defending Grudge Race champion Evans grew up at the track and in the shop, and her passion for cars still fuels everything she does. A metal artist, rusty truck enthusiast and content creator, Evans will seek to repeat in her 1987 Dodge D150 truck
• Hooligan Brothers: Hooligan Brothers, based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is a group of four "hooligans" who love anything about going fast, sideways or airborne, including the 1991 Fox Body Mustang the group will bring to Roadkill Nights
• Deshown Luckey: Known as boostedluckey, the 26-year-old automotive enthusiast, content creator and proud family man will compete in a Direct Connection-modified 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
• John O'Malley: O'Malley, a born racer who grew up competing in motocross and snowcross professionally, runs @BoostedMotorsports and is known for swapping SRT Hellcat engines into many vehicles; he'll race a 2000 Dodge Viper at Roadkill Nights

Fans can connect with each racer's social media channels and follow along as they build their custom rides under ever-increasing pressure at DodgeGarage.com.

All competitors will receive VIP access to the Direct Connection Tech hotline at (800) 998-1110 for assistance. More information on Direct Connection is available at DCPerformance.com.

Get Your Ass in Gear to Win Grand Prize Trip to Roadkill Nights
The Dodge and Mopar brands are partnering for the Get Your Ass in Gear sweepstakes* that will give one lucky grand-prize winner an all-expenses-paid trip to Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge, along with other perks.

Participants can visit the brand's online merchandise sites, Life.Dodge.com or WearMopar.com, to enter. Each online catalog includes a variety of gear and merchandise for men, women and kids, including headwear, lifestyle collections, accessories, bags, drinkware, electronics, outdoors merchandise and gift cards. A first-ever Dodge motorsports collection is also available, nodding to the Dodge brand's track-ready performance roots.

Enter the Get Your Ass in Gear sweepstakes by visiting Life.Dodge.com or WearMopar.com until July 21 for a chance to win prizes, including the grand prize, featuring:

• All-expenses-paid, two-night trip to Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge
• (2) Roadkill Nights VIP tickets
• Meet-and-greet with Direct Connection Grudge Race participants and Dodge execs
• Dodge and Mopar swag

The sweepstakes second-place winner will receive $500 worth of Dodge and Mopar merchandise, and the third-place winner will receive $250 worth of Dodge and Mopar merchandise.

Winners will be announced July 30. No purchase necessary. For complete details and sweepstakes rules, visit life.dodge.com/roadkill-nights-promo-rules.html.

MotorTrend
MotorTrend has chronicled the auto industry's past, present, and future since 1949, catering to in-market shoppers and enthusiasts through authoritative, entertaining storytelling, world-class photography, and engaging video presentations. In addition to in-depth coverage of the latest in automotive technology, reporting on breaking news, and features on the biggest personalities, MotorTrend reviews hundreds of new cars every year, leveraging objective testing and the team's extensive expertise. Its renowned MotorTrend Car of the Year, SUV of the Year, and Truck of the Year awards are also internationally recognized as among the most prestigious in the industry. Follow MotorTrend on X, Instagram and Facebook.

Dodge//SRT
For 110 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge, America's performance brand, shifts into high gear with a lineup that delivers unrivaled performance in each of the segments in which the brand competes while moving forward to a future that includes electrified muscle in the form of the next-generation, all-new Dodge Charger.

The next-generation Dodge Charger electrifies a legend, with the Charger retaining its title as the world's quickest and most powerful muscle car, led by the all-new, all-electric 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack. The all-new Dodge Charger will also offer performance choices via multi-energy powertrain options, including the 550-horsepower Dodge Charger SIXPACK H.O., powered by the 3.0L Twin Turbo Hurricane High Output engine.

Dodge also keeps its foot on the gas as a pure performance brand with the 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, the most powerful gas engine SUV ever, and best-in-class standard performance in the compact-utility vehicle segment with the Dodge Hornet.

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.

Follow Dodge//SRT and company news and video on:
Company blog: blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Media website: media.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Dodge brand: dodge.com
Direct Connection: DCPerformance.com
DodgeGarage: dodgegarage.com
Facebook: facebook.com/dodge
Instagram: @dodgeofficial
Twitter: @Dodge and @StellantisNA
YouTube: youtube.com/dodge, youtube.com/StellantisNA

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. Open only to legal residents of the 50 US/DC, 18 years of age and older. Void where prohibited by law. Sweepstakes starts at 12:00:00 a.m. ET on 6/19/25 and ends at 11:59:59 p.m. ET on 7/21/25. Subject to Official Rules, including entry instructions, how to enter without a purchase, prize details, odds, and restrictions, click here. Sponsor: Helm Promotions LLC, 47911 Halyard Drive, Ste 200, Plymouth, MI 48170

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SOURCE Stellantis