I am sitting in my Pacifica inside a four-story parking garage just outside of Dallas, Texas. Part of me wants to sit here and let the steady stream of Mopar®-flavored awesomeness roll slowly by. I could sit here with the GoPro filming and let the van’s windshield morph into an 80″ 4K screen. In my head, I’m watching the best YouTube video a fan of all things Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep® and Ram could ever hope to find. But I can’t sit here and dream the night away. Tonight is Friday Night Lights 2023!
If you have been to a WAM show, you know what this is all about. If you still need to make it to WAM, allow me to explain. Friday Night Lights (FNL) is the kickoff event for one of the world’s largest all-Mopar car shows. And what a kickoff it is! We are filling a five-story parking garage with some of the cleanest builds on the planet. I was fortunate to be here for the first FNL, and I am far beyond excited to be back for 2023.
There is something different this time around. It’s a good different! The family feel from the first FNL is still here, but everything around me has a casual flow. The staff has been here, done this. There is no drama; they are just making it happen like they were born to be here. The creators of this weekend-long gathering are all smiles too. I was here for the growing pains. I saw them working through situations impossible to anticipate. It was impressive to see wrinkles ironed out back then. But, seeing the well-oiled machine this has become is even more special.
Another line of Challengers and Chargers roll in front of the Pacifica. I let them all pass to ensure the GoPro does its job, grab the camera off the windshield, and just like that, it’s time to tuck the laptop away and join the party! If Friday Night Lights was the main show and WAM inside Texas Motor Speedway was never a thing, it would still be worth the trip to Dallas! Friday Night Lights is the real-life equivalent of that scene from that movie set in Japan. You know the one. It’s set in Tokyo. There’s a lot of drifting. I WONDER IF YOU KNOW… I know, you know. Think Tokyo Drift. Now, remove all the JDM and insert everything Mopar and EPIC.
If it has a tie-in to any of the brands falling under the Stellantis/Mopar umbrella, it’s welcome. You will see everything from bone stock to fully custom on a level you need to see to fully comprehend. If hundreds and hundreds of Challenger, Charger, 300, Jeep and Ram Brand vehicles put together with innovative modifications, mild to wild themes and a couple thousand like-minded people coming together for one hell of a weekend sounds like your idea of a good time… I’ll see you here in 2024!
WAM and Friday Nite Lites is nothing short of a sensory extravaganza. First you have hundreds of beautiful cars all decked out and ready to show off….the lights on some of these cars are just amazing! It’s a great experience, the sounds of muscle everywhere, people out having a good time, and some really killer looking vehicles. This is a must do event! The next day is even more intense with a car show, laps on the track, rally course you can run, I mean the whole experience is one of a kind. I’ll be there for the next one, you should too!