Detroit’s drifting culture drives community as loneliness epidemic grows
From Drift Indy to the Woodward Dream Cruise, car enthusiasts say Detroit’s events connect people across generations in a time of rising isolation.
DETROIT — As loneliness climbs in the United States, Detroit’s car culture is being described as a local antidote, providing in-person communities at drifting events, vintage-car shows and large gatherings. A 2024 Gallup poll found that one in five adults report daily loneliness, and in 2023 the U.S. Surgeon General warned that loneliness has reached epidemic levels. In a city where auto history runs deep, organizers and participants say shared passion is helping people connect across ages, backgrounds and neighborhoods.
At Drift Indy, held at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac, enthusiasts say the hobby bridges people from different backgrounds. William, a longtime car hobbyist, told Fox News Digital that the pastime helps people "rub shoulders with folks you wouldn't ordinarily rub shoulders with." Drift Indy began as an online group promoting drifting in 2005 and grew to host five events a year in Indiana before expanding across the Midwest. The events are staged at the M1 Concourse, where drivers burn rubber on the racetrack, leaving smoke and tire marks behind.
Deidra Drake, a driver who participated in Drift Indy, started Girls Gone Drifting to create a community for women. "Drifting is a very male-dominated sport. When I first started drifting, there were only a few other girls locally and it was extremely intimidating," she said. The group aims to be a non-judgmental space where women can learn and share their experiences, and she described the broader community as a source of lasting friendships that extend beyond the track.
Fox News Digital attended Drift Indy, the M1 Concourse, and the Woodward Dream Cruise to explore whether car culture can help counter loneliness in an era when technology and the decline of bowling leagues, rotary clubs and church attendance are reducing in-person social activities. Drake described Girls Gone Drifting as "a community of ladies that drive together and support each other," noting that so many participants have become lifelong friends.
Paul Zlotoff, CEO of M1 Concourse, said the venue is a hub for motorsports experiences and personal connections. "I know a fair amount of that because we run an event center. We call this the epicenter of motorsports experiential opportunities. Bowling leagues are dropping, rotary clubs are declining, so we all know that, in part because now people can sit at home on their computer," he told Fox News Digital. He emphasized that each car carries a story, and by bringing people together around those stories, communities form around mutual interests. "We're going to interact, and it's through mutual interests that we find community," he added. 
Earl, another M1 Concourse organizer, said the gatherings embody a sense of community that exists behind the cars themselves: "Not too far from M1 Concourse... behind cars is the fabric." The conversations, the shared projects and the hands-on work to restore or customize vehicles help weave connections beyond the showroom.
In nearby Birmingham, the Woodward Dream Cruise — often described as North America’s largest car-enthusiast event — draws crowds and thousands of classic cars to the Detroit area. Catherine, who attended with family members, said the event offers a social ritual of connecting with neighbors and relatives who come out to enjoy the day. "I saw so many people sitting in their chairs along Woodward during the day, all times of day, just taking them in and getting them out of the house and connecting with the person sitting in the chair. So I think it’s really a great thing," she said. The Dream Cruise typically attracts more than 1 million attendees and tens of thousands of classic cars. 
Kris Lamarr, a musician who hosts street racing and car events in Detroit, said the city’s car culture has a lineage that enriches the experience beyond metal and gears. "I got my Cadillac Python from my pops, and I’ve been building on it since then. I know a lot of other people in the city who have had cars passed down, so I think it’s just more so, a lineage of things, a lot more sentimental than just metal and gears," he explained.
Beyond individual stories, researchers point to loneliness data as a backdrop to these community-driven gatherings. A Gallup poll published in 2024 found that daily loneliness afflicts one in five adults, and already in 2023 the Surgeon General warned of a loneliness epidemic in the United States. The broader social landscape includes declines in activities once considered cornerstones of community life, such as bowling leagues; Bowlingball.com analyzed data from the United States Bowling Congress showing a significant drop in memberships and youth participation.
Experts caution that car culture is not a substitute for a well-rounded social life, but many organizers say these events offer meaningful, tangible connections in an era when in-person interaction can feel scarce. As Detroit-area enthusiasts point out, the shared language of cars — the stories, the builds, the camaraderie on and off the track — can help people find belonging even as the country wrestles with loneliness across generations.
