Dodge and MotorTrendare back at it again with another year of the legendary Roadkill Nights horsepower festival, this time for the ninth edition. However, this is the first RKN where the Hemi V8 isn’t the focus. Instead, this year will highlight the capabilities of the newly-launched HurriCrate inline-six turbo crate engine, with both new and seasoned competitors taking on the challenge to take home all of the bragging rights.
2024 Roadkill Nights: Details
MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge will once again host legally sanctioned drag racing on Woodward Avenue in Metro Detroit this summer. Returning to the event is another heated battle between online automotive builders in the famous Direct Connection Grudge Race. newly minted Dodge brand CEO Matt McAlear stated in a press release that there will be some surprises for Roadkill Nights attendees.
Along with watching some of America’s most legendary street-legal cars race in person on Woodward Avenue, attendees can expect to find a classic and modern muscle car show, Dodge Thrill Rides, Dodge displays, and Dodge show vehicles. There will also be Roadkill talent appearances, a vendor midway, and more. This means this event is likely one Dodge muscle car fans aren’t going to want to miss, though, for the past nine years, the event has been epic, with more and more people attending each consecutive year.
Those interested in and planning to attend the 2024 edition of MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge will have to wait for a future update regarding the date, location, event, and ticket details, which Dodge has announced will arrive later this spring and summer. In the meantime, you can read about the lineup for this year’s Grudge Match.
2024 Grudge Match
Six competitors recently took delivery of new Direct Connection HurriCrate engines, derived from the high-output version of the 3.0L Hurricane Twin Turbo engine. Competitors must use the engine as the foundational building block for their respective drag-car build projects. The mix of veteran and rookie Direct Connection Grudge Race competitors, all competing for their first Grudge Race win, will include:
Tom Bailey: Bailey owns the “Sick” media franchise, will return to the Grudge Race to compete solo after serving as a mentor in 2023, and will also host a burnout contest the day before the Roadkill Nights event.
Westen Champlin: A self-proclaimed “horsepower connoisseur,” Champlin competed in the 2021-2022 Direct Connection Grudge Race, bringing his energy and antics to millions of Dodge enthusiasts. His wild builds, such as a Cummins diesel-powered Ford Mustang, have fetched millions upon millions of views on YouTube.
Morgan Evans: Evans, a rookie Grudge Race competitor known to the social world as someone who can build anything on four wheels, recently created a YouTube channel, “Torque N Tungsten,” where she documents her metal artwork and epic builds
Allison Kovalik: Kovalik is another rookie Grudge Race competitor but is no stranger to Roadkill Nights or building epic drag cars – she grew up rebuilding vehicles and currently owns a 1967 Dart that she rebuilt and races
Garrett Reed: A custom ride builder and creator of the popular AmericanMuscleHD social channels, Reed is excited to make his Grudge Race debut. A friend of MC&T, Garrett has enjoyed driving around in his supercharged Cadillac Escalade well before GM finally started building one officially. He’s also no stranger to the track, despite his inaugural debut at RKN.
Herman Young: Young, also known as “Demonology,” is a returning veteran of the event and a passionate member of the Dodge Brotherhood of Muscle. He will be gunning for his first victory after coming short in the 2022-2023 Grudge Race.
More information on the Direct Connection Grudge Race can be found on the Dodge Garage website. All competitors will be connected with a Dodge Power Brokers dealer to assist with their builds. Competitors will also receive VIP access to the Direction Connection Tech hotline for assistance.
What Surprises Await?
Considering that the 2023 Roadkill Nights event featured a quick cameo of a still underbaked Hurricane-powered Dodge Challenger Drag Pak, we may see something closer to a fully finished product at the 2024 event, now that the next-generation Dodge Charger has been unveiled in both EV and ICE versions. Speaking of the EV, designed as the Charger Daytona, we’re likely to see a couple of runs to demonstrate what that silent speeder can do, too, though that hasn’t been confirmed.
