The windows of the warehouse and retail buildings that lined the street shook as over 120 street-legal drag cars hit the specially prepped eighth-mile drag strip on Pontiac, Michigan’s Woodward Avenue. Located within the vicinity of the M1 Concourse, It was a two-day celebration of horsepower and hot rod culture.
Roadkill Nights powered by Dodge presented a rare time and place where it is legal to drag race on the streets—for cash. Nearly 50,000 spectators came to watch drivers battle it out via high-powered drag racing for a cash purse totaling $30,000. The overall fastest cars were timed in two categories, the Small Tire class and Large Tire class, to determine four winners. Without further ado, here are the winners who earned their chicken dinners, plus two more crazy-fast cars that went full-throttle down Woodward Avenue.
1. The Champion of the Streets
Michigan resident Jim Kline made his home state proud when he raced past the finish with a 4.99-second 1/8-mile time, which also turned out to be the fastest run of the day that resulted in an overall Big Tire class win.
The 1966 Pontiac GTO is powered by a 622ci engine and can complete the quarter-mile in seven seconds. It may be a little heavier than some of the competition, but Jim will agree: racing in style is worth the extra weight.
2. Small Tires Can Go Fast Too
Alen Danial drives his 1979 Chevrolet Malibu on the street more than he races it, but all that seat time is a good sign that he feels at home in his car. He took on Woodward like a wind storm in the tropics and blew past his competitors in the Small Tire class.
The car maintains all steel panels and its original chassis. Its 6-liter LS-based engine is stroked to 402-ci and boosted by a 91.5-mm Precision turbo. It feeds on e85 fuel. “We’re in the four digits as far as horsepower,” Alen hinted. He transfers the power to the pavement via a manual valve body column shifter mated to a Turbo 400 transmission.
3. You Can’t Dodge This Dodge
James Pranis traveled all the way from Pennsylvania to race his 1968 Dodge Charger down the historic Motor City street, and he came to win. “I’ve owned and raced this car since 1984!” he beamed.
His experience, aside from the badassery of the car, certainly contributed to his win in the Quickest Dodge Large Tire class. The Punisher on the Charger’s front plate suggests what this machine is made of. It’s powered by a 610ci Hemi and charged by an F-2 Procharger that crams enough air through the engine to produce 1,381-hp on a base tune.
4. Nitrous Enhanced Dart
Peter Bokedon came back with his small-block 1972 Dodge Dart for his second win in the Quickest Dodge Small Tire class. He earned his win by fighting with his nitrous setup through qualifying. Peter resolved the issue just in time to lay some serious rubber.
“I’ve owned the car since I was 15 years old,” Peter said. “I used to drive it to high school when it was completely stock.” We don’t know how much horsepower it makes, but we are certain that Peter will be back next year to race for his third consecutive win.
5. All of the Horsepower
Drag Week legend Joe Barry’s Orange Creamsicle 1956 Chevrolet 210 makes our mouths water every time we see it. The car is truly art on wheels, and as if that’s not enough, it has extreme horsepower that blows us all away. Housed inside the beautifully wrapped package is an aluminum 598-ci big-block boosted up to 3,200hp by dual 88mm turbos. Although, all the billet aluminum on the car could cause brief flashbacks to the 90s street rod days.
Even with just 2-lbs of boost, the Chevy still blasted tires across the pavement and couldn’t maintain traction. It’s not the only car that had trouble hooking up on the public road surface. Even though the blacktop is semi-prepped, it will never be as sticky as a dedicated fully-prepped dragstrip.
6. Say “Yes” to this SS
Taner Bosnali’s 1996 Chevy Camaro SS is built to the 9s. Or technically, the 8s. Taner says his car has been clocked in the 8-second range at almost 170 mph, and it keeps getting faster as he improves the setup. “The car has been a nitrous combination for many years. It held the GM 6-speed ¼-mile record for a number of years and the LT1 6-speed record for the last 18 years.”
The brilliant blue Camaro is equipped with a 398-ci LT1 engine mated to a single Precision turbo. When it runs on pump gas, it pushes 770-rwhp on 6 psi, and it tops out at 1,490rwhp with C16 race fuel in the tank. A T56 Magnum transmission sends the power to the wheels. “I couldn’t do this without the help and support from my close friends and family,” Tanner exclaimed. “Oh, and the sponsorship from my Visa card: I can borrow as much as I want as long as I pay it back by the end of the month.”
Can’t get enough horsepower? Neither can we. That’s why we equipped you with the photo gallery below. Hold on to your steering wheel (er… phone, mouse or trackpad), and have a nice scroll.
Then, click here to learn more about Roadkill Nights.
Keyword: Six Fastest Street Cars from RoadKill Nights on Woodward Avenue