![]() ![]() So I'm going to land somewhere,” he said. I've got a lot of gas in the tank, so to speak. “It’s bittersweet for me, bittersweet for our family."Īngel didn’t reveal specific long-range plans but reminded that he has a racetrack to run for the next nine-plus months. “And,” he said, “as a family, we're going to move on to the next stage in our lives.” We feel very honored to have held this event for 35 years. There is also an impressive list of corporate sponsors that were all instrumental in making this race possible each season. We're forever grateful to the City of Baytown, Chambers County, and the State of Texas for all the assistance they've provided. Our family is extremely proud to have showcased the top level of professional drag racing for 35 wonderful years. ![]() It’s something we don't take lightly,” Seth Angel, son of the late Glen Angel, said. We've probably spent over 50 years in the sport as fans. We've spent 35 years in the sport as track owners. “It’s bittersweet for me, bittersweet for our family. The Angel brothers bought out the Gay family's interest in 2004. At that time, the 500-acre venue was co-owned by the Gay family of Dickenson, Texas, and their longtime friends, brothers Greg, Gary, and Glen Angel. Houston Raceway Park, renowned for its sea-level location along Trinity Bay that creates a race-perfect, oxygen-rich environment, hosted its inaugural national event in 1988. Old Bridge Township Raceway Park at Englishtown, N.J., demolished its dragstrip, then Route 66 Raceway and Atlanta Dragway left the Camping World Series, all while COVID-19 restrictions forced cancellation of both the 20 Richmond, Va., and Seattle events and the 2021 Phoenix race. Not only will that mark an end to an era in Texas motorsports history, but it also will mean the disappearance of a fourth prominent drag-racing facility since 2018. Our family is forever indebted to the sport of NHRA drag racing and will cherish the amazing memories we've made when this chapter closes next spring." From preseason tests to years where we had two national events, to the scores of legends who have raced here, to the championships decided on our grounds, it's been an incredible high-speed ride. It's been a dream come true to meet and work with all the incredible drivers, team owners, and NHRA executives who come together each year to entertain the millions of racing fans in our area. “Trust me,” he said, giving up Houston Raceway Park, “is not an easy thing to do. ![]() But at the end of the day, the property owner is going to develop it into an industrial facility,” Angel said. “There were some discussions along the way, in that time period, where, we might consider extending it and going into two extra years. The venue and sanctioning body jointly announced Wednesday afternoon that the home of its SpringNationals-a staple for the past 35 years-and host of two annual events from 1997-2000, will close following the April 22-24, 2022, race. So the company is preparing to expand its footprint for receiving, storing, and distributing petrochemicals and consumer goods, as well as housing its process engineering and other business units-at the expense of NHRA-affiliated Houston Raceway Park.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |