Houston Raceway Park

Houston Raceway Park, originally called Royal Purple Raceway, was a quarter-mile dragstrip located in Baytown, Texas, near Houston. Opened in 1988, the venue covered 500 acres on the eastern side of the greater Houston area and stood as the region’s only major multi-purpose motorsports facility. Its dragstrip featured a three-story tower with 23 VIP suites, a media center, and race control rooms equipped with timing and scoring gear. In 2000, a new high-banked 3/8-mile dirt oval was added to the property.

The park held an exclusive deal with the National Hot Rod Association to host an NHRA National Event within a 200-mile radius of Houston. Starting in 2002, that event was called the NHRA Spring Nationals. On July 14, 2021, Houston Raceway Park and the NHRA announced the facility would close permanently after the 2022 NHRA SpringNationals, which took place April 22–24, 2022. The land was slated for a business expansion by Katoen Natie, an international logistics and port operator based next door.

The paved pit area could accommodate roughly 400 racing rigs, with extra pit parking on grass. Spectator lots held over 10,000 cars, plus a VIP area for another 600 vehicles. The park had a fixed seating capacity of 30,000, with additional grandstands brought in for major events to meet reserved seat demand. Permanent restrooms and concession stands were located near the seating on both sides of the track.