Houston Raceway Park

Baytown, Texas · drag strip

Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas, was an NHRA national-event drag strip that opened in 1988 and closed after the April 2022 SpringNationals. A 3/8-mile dirt oval was added in 2000.

Opened: 1988
Closed: 2022
Today: Status unknown
Capacity: 30,000

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History

The drag strip opened in 1988 and soon hosted an NHRA national event, renamed the Spring Nationals in 2002. A high-banked 3/8-mile dirt oval was added in 2000, and the complex seated 30,000.

In July 2021 the operators announced the 500-acre property had been sold and would close after the April 2022 SpringNationals, to be redeveloped as an industrial park.

Why it matters: Houston's NHRA national-event track for 35 years.

Timeline

1988
Opens[1,2]
The drag strip opened and hosted its first NHRA national event shortly afterward.
2000
Dirt oval added[1]
A high-banked 3/8-mile dirt oval opened.
2002
Spring Nationals[1]
The NHRA national event was renamed the Spring Nationals.
April 24, 2022
Final NHRA SpringNationals[1,2]
The 2022 NHRA SpringNationals, April 22-24, was the last event.

The site today

Physical status	Status unknown
Current use	Planned business expansion for logistics firm Katoen Natie (Wikipedia); new owners planned an industrial park (KPRC).[1]
Mapped location	Former venue site

Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)

Venue facts

Location	Baytown, Texas
Venue type	drag strip
Sports	Motorsports
Level	NHRA
Opened	1988[1,2]
Last used for sports	April 24, 2022[1,2]
Physical status	Status unknown
Final capacity	30,000[1]
Capacity notes	30,000 seats per Wikipedia.
Closure	The property was sold to new owners who planned an industrial park.

Documented details

The 500-acre complex called itself Southeast Texas' largest multi-purpose motorsports facility.[2]
The Angel family bought out the Gay family's stake in 2004.[2]

Sources

Houston Raceway Park, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19
Supports: capacity, closed, coordinates, current land use, events, opened
Houston Raceway Park closing in 2022, KPRC 2 Click2Houston. Accessed 2026-10-19
Supports: closed, events, opened

Research confidence

Key facts on this page (opening, closing, status and location) are each supported by sources, with key dates corroborated by at least two independent sources. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.

Where sources disagree (1)

Wikipedia's infobox gives the closing year as 2023, but the last event was the April 2022 SpringNationals.

See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.

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