Rodger Brogdon has a tough time believing when he races this weekend at Houston Raceway Park; it will be his last time competing at the facility located in Baytown, Texas, just outside of Houston. 

Brogdon, who lives in nearby Tomball, is one of several Houston-area racers saying goodbye to his hometown track, hosting its final NHRA national event. 

"It's terrible. Anybody in this area been going there for all these years, it's going to be a bad deal, but it's out of our control," Brogdon said. "There's so many people that ask me, "What are you going to do? Where are you going to race? I mean, is anybody else building a new track?" All kinds of questions like that constantly, but you can't prepare for something like that. I tell them all the same; I haven't heard of any new tracks, any quarter-mile tracks, at least, getting built."

Brogdon's home track will then become the Texas Motorplex outside of Dallas, the impetus for the building of Houston Raceway Park back in 1988.

"About three and a half hours, but it's still not one hour," Brogdon added. 

Brogdon said he will use the weekend as a celebration instead of a funeral.

"We're going to have a big deal; going to have about 100 people out at least on Friday, Saturday, and maybe a few less on Sunday," Brogdon said. We're going to have 100 people each day, with big hospitality for customers and fans and friends and stuff. We're going to have a good time.

Last Wednesday, Houston Raceway Park issued a statement saying ticket sales are nearing those of a sellout. 

"It looks like our final NHRA race will be one for the record books," Houston Raceway Park 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 any interested fans jump on HoustonRaceway.com as soon as possible to get their tickets. We don't want anyone to miss out."

Brogdon said he never thought he'd see the day the track would ever go away. 

"I don't think it ever crossed my mind because it's a good track; it's very popular," Brogdon said. "Things change. I figured out something was going on a few years ago when I watched all the development around it because I'm in the construction business, and I'm thinking the whole time, 'They're just surrounding this place. They're going to get this one before it's over." 

"That did cross my mind a couple of times, honestly, but obviously, if the price is right, if what I heard they got for the place, I'd have sold it too."