There's a saying which suggests, "All good things must come to an end."

And since 1988, Houston Raceway Park, located in Baytown, Tex., has been a good thing for NHRA drag racers and its fans. 

On April 24, 2022, the last NHRA national event will play out before a packed house.

Today, management at HRP confirmed the final event there is approaching sell-out status, two weeks before the event is to take place. 

"It looks like our final NHRA race will be one for the record books," General Manager Seth Angel said. "We've already sold out of all the full event packages for both the Nitro Club and the Top Eliminator Club, and single-day passes for both of those areas are becoming pretty scarce. Tickets in the remainder of the grandstands are selling quickly, so we're recommending interested fans jump on HoustonRaceway.com as soon as possible to get their tickets. We don't want anyone to miss out."

Late last year, HRP's ownership announced the event would be its last. 

NHRA's drag racing contingent, including defending Top Fuel champion Steve Torrence can't wait to be a part of the final runs. 

"Winning at HRP last year capped off our CAPCO team, winning at least one time at every track on the current NHRA tour," Torrence said. "Naturally, it was also a big deal to win in Texas again. We'd won in Dallas, but Houston had alluded us until 2021.

"I've got a lot of memories at HRP, going all the way back to being a fan in the stands. My dream of becoming a drag racer started at HRP and the Texas Motorplex (in the Dallas area) because those were the races we always attended when I was younger. When I started racing, I'd match up with Erica (Enders, of Houston) at HRP when we were both running Super Comp dragsters. I just hate to see it close, but I'm happy to have one more big chance to make some noise down there."

Hometown champion Erica Enders started her storied career at HRP. 

Now 37, Enders leads all-female racers with four NHRA world titles. She also has 36 national event wins.

"HRP has meant so much to me my entire life," Enders said. "I literally fell in love with the sport watching my dad (Gregg Enders) race here before I was old enough to drive. When they first announced the Junior Dragster program, I couldn't get down here fast enough to start racing myself. It's always been my hometown track and a place where I want to win more than any other. 

"Our Melling Performance Chevrolet Camaro is running strong, and everyone at Elite Motorsports is completely focused on winning every event we enter. Taking home the final trophy from HRP would be huge to me personally because this is home."

There's plenty of history at HRP, including the first four-second Top Fuel run in NHRA drag racing history, but they will be memories as new property owners, Belgium-based Katoen Natie, plan to repurpose the drag racing complex into an industrial park.