Fans attending this year's NHRA Championship Drag Racing event March 27-30 at Houston Raceway Park will have their easiest trek ever to the record-setting southeast Texas facility thanks to the newest section of Houston's Grand Parkway, which will basically take racing aficionados directly from Interstate 10 to the entrance of HRP's expansive resurfaced parking lots.

Whether traveling eastbound from downtown Houston or westbound from the golden triangle, fans can simply take Exit 799 -- Grand Parkway/Highway 99 and travel south for less than a mile to the FM 565 Exit, which feeds directly into the facility. The track runs adjacent to the Grand Parkway along the west side of the parkway.

Fans attending this year's NHRA Championship Drag Racing event March 27-30 at Houston Raceway Park will have their easiest trek ever to the record-setting southeast Texas facility thanks to the newest section of Houston's Grand Parkway, which will basically take racing aficionados directly from Interstate 10 to the entrance of HRP's expansive resurfaced parking lots.

Whether traveling eastbound from downtown Houston or westbound from the golden triangle, fans can simply take Exit 799 -- Grand Parkway/Highway 99 and travel south for less than a mile to the FM 565 Exit, which feeds directly into the facility. The track runs adjacent to the Grand Parkway along the west side of the parkway.

"It's unprecedented access to the track and we're thrilled with the Texas Department of Transportation for getting this section done in time for the race," said Seth Angel, HRP's general manager. "The fans are going to love it and we're anticipating arrival times to drop dramatically across the board. It's awesome; we're right off the most-traveled highway in the country, and yet we're still right in the heart of Baytown so getting to area restaurants and hotels is still very convenient."

The 21st annual O'Reilly Spring NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil runs from March 27-30 at Houston Raceway Park, the site of numerous world record passes in motorsport's fastest and quickest sanction. Defending event winners include J.R. Todd in Top Fuel, Ron Capps in Funny Car, Jason Line in Pro Stock, and Angelle Sampey in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Aside from the new highway leading into the track, the Angel family, which has owned and operated the facility for years, has made massive infrastructure improvements including repaving the racing surface and adding additional drainage to the professional pit area and spectator parking lots. Future plans call for upgrades to the grandstands, corporate suites, fan amenities and facilities, and media center.

"We're excited about the future of the track," Angel said. "We're contracted with the NHRA through the 2012 season and we also have a five-year agreement in place with the ARDL (American Drag Racing League) to host its national events."