Houston Raceway is Sadly Closing Down After 35 Fierce Years

Houston holds a lot of horsepower within its city walls. Right down the road in Baytown stands the infamous Houston Raceway Park. People have gathered at the track for over 35 years, watching cars, driving cars, and attending national events.

Get our free mobile app

Drivers from all over the area and out of state have come to the track to test their skills and push their cars to the limit. Car enthusiasts wait in anticipation for events like Texas 2k or Import Faceoff. Those events give a rush like no other. Tons of people in attendance and even more power just booming around. Houston Raceway Park was the first formal race track I ever raced on.

Regulars of the track would gear up for the Friday Night Legal Street Racing event or Takedown Tuesday for some good ol' roll races. However, that is all coming to an end, and very soon.

Houston Raceway Park just announced the end of a legacy. The last rubber to be burnt will be in April 2022. The final event to take place at the Houston Raceway Park will be the Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals presented by Pennzoil. After that, it all comes to an end.

The most tragic part of it all is something mentioned in the press release, "Immediately following the event; the new property owners will repurpose the drag racing complex into an industrial business park." Naturally, fans of the track have not reacted well to the news.

After the race track posted the news on their page, users immediately expressed concerns and displeasure. Many feel the owners have "sold out" since the new owners have no interest in continuing the legacy; instead, they want to industrialize the area.

Others have pointed out the street racing issue. This track is one of the only nearby places to race your cars legally. Houston PD is cracking down on street racing, but now that the track is closing, this may create an even bigger problem.

Houston Raceway Park will be missed. It has generated tons of fun for so many racers, spectators and the city of Houston will feel much emptier when it is gone.