Michael Satterfield
TGR Staff – 07/14/2021
Houston Raceway Park has officially announced it will be closing its doors after its final NHRA national event of 2022. The property is slighted to be redeveloped into an industrial business park and construction will commence immediately following the final race at the facility. Renowned for its sea-level location just outside of Houston, the track was a favorite of race mechanics and drivers, hosting its first national event in 1988.
Houston Raceway Park has been the site of many special moments, none more so than the NHRA’s first four-second run, a 4.99 set by Texan Gene Snow at the 1988 race. Fellow Texan Eddie Hill quickly topped Snow by running a staggering 4.93 in the final round of Top Fuel to win the race, sending off a worldwide frenzy of interest in the sport.
Other memorable moments include “The Burndown,” when bitter rivals Warren Johnson and Scott Geoffrion sat in the pre-stage beams for more than a minute trying to unnerve one another; first-time victories for a pair of future multi-time world champions, Scott Kalitta and Jeg Coughlin Jr.; Larry Dixon running the first quarter-mile pass under 4.5 seconds when he posted a 4.48 in 1999; Michael Phillips becoming the first African-American to win in a pro category in 1997; and three inclusions into both the Pro Stock 200 mph Club and the Top Fuel 300 mph Club.
The final running of the 35th annual Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals presented by Pennzoil will be held April 22-24 at Houston Raceway Park.
