Houston Raceway

Houston Raceway to Close in 2022

Houston Raceway, formerly known as Royal Purple Raceway, is a quarter-mile dragstrip situated on 500 acres of land just outside of the city of Baytown. Built-in 1988, Houston raceway is Houston's only major multi-purpose motorsports venue and a top stop on the NHRA national tour. Houston Raceway

History at the Track

The track is a historic venue that has produced some of the most iconic moments in the sport's history. It was where the NHRA's first four-second run took place when Texan Gene Snow ran a 4.99 in 1988; where Antron Brown became the first African-American to win a Top Fuel race; and where Robert Hight racked up his first 52 Funny Car wins.

Other memorable moments at the track include "The Burndown" between rivals Warren Johnson and Scott Geoffrion; first-time wins for future multi-time world champions Scott Kalitta and Jeg Coughlin Jr.; Larry Dixon running the first quarter-mile pass under 4.5 seconds; and three inclusions into both the Pro Stock 200 mph Club and the Top Fuel 300 mph Club, according to a press release.

After 28 years, the NHRA announced that it would no longer be holding events at Houston raceway in 2022. The news was met with mixed emotions by fans of the event, as well as NHRA drag racing in general.

Despite the pending closure of the Houston raceway, a new plan has been revealed by HRP Vice President & General Manager Seth Angel that suggests the facility will continue to host events for at least nine months in 2023. Tickets for special events at HMP can be purchased online through Ticketmaster and at all O'Reilly Auto Parts locations in the area.

The final NHRA event to take place at Houston raceway will be April 22-24 with the 35th annual Spring Nationals, marking the end of an era for NHRA drags racing in Texas. The race is already approaching sell-out status, and many fans are looking forward to the chance to celebrate the legacy of the sport.

A star-studded field of competitors will be on hand for the final NHRA event at Houston raceway, including reigning defending world champ Tony Torrence, Las Vegas winner Brittany Force, Doug Kalitta, Justin Ashley, and Mike Salinas. The list also includes a number of veteran NHRA stars, such as Tony Schumacher, Leah Pruett, Antron Brown, Clay Millican, and Joe Amato.