{"id":97445,"date":"2024-09-06T07:09:04","date_gmt":"2024-09-06T14:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/?p=97445"},"modified":"2024-09-06T07:09:04","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T14:09:04","slug":"best-road-trips-for-race-fans-everythings-bigger-in-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/best-road-trips-for-race-fans-everythings-bigger-in-texas\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Road Trips for Race Fans: Everything&#8217;s Bigger in Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"jetpack-slideshow-noscript robots-nocontent\">This slideshow requires JavaScript.<\/p><div id=\"gallery-97445-1-slideshow\" class=\"jetpack-slideshow-window jetpack-slideshow jetpack-slideshow-black\" data-trans=\"fade\" data-autostart=\"1\" data-gallery=\"[{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/Road-Trips-for-People-Who-Love-Racing-Texas.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;97480&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Road Trips for People Who Love Racing: Texas&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Click Here to Begin Slideshow\\n\\nEverything\\u2019s bigger in the Lone Star State, and that includes the hot racing action down in the Lone Star State! Let\\u2019s mosey on over to the ol\\u2019 Republic for some Buc-ee\\u2019s, bluebells, and burnouts!\\n\\nIn our next installment of Race Tricks for Road Trips, we visit the great state of Texas to find NASCAR, dirt tracks and wide open spaces.\\n\\nAnd if you\\u0026#8217;ve been to any of these tracks, which is YOUR favorite?\\nClick Here to Begin Slideshow&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/Texas-Motor-Speedway-Facebook-Texas-Motor-Speedway-min.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;97490&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Dallas has \\u201cJerry World\\u201d (AT\\u0026#038;T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys), Fort Worth has \\u201cBig Hoss,\\u201d the largest HD screen in all of Texas (the original version was on the Guiness Book of World Records as the then-largest HD screen in the world), located along the backstretch of Texas Motor Speedway. The 1.5-mile oval itself is the successor to the 2-mile Texas World Speedway in College Station, which permanently closed in September 2017 to become housing. TMS opened in 1996, hosting its first NASCAR Cup race the following year. Tony Stewart set the all-time race lap record in 1998 at that year\\u2019s Indy Racing League event at TMS, the True Value 500.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/COTA-Facebook-Circuit-of-the-Americas-min.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;97484&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Circuit of the Americas (COTA), Austin&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;The only dedicated Grade 1 FIA-spec road course in the United States (the other U.S.-based Grade 1 road course lives within \\u2013 and uses part of \\u2013 the 2-mile oval of Indianapolis Motor Speedway), Circuit of the Americas is the current host for Formula One, MotoGP, FIA World Endurance Championship, Trans-Am Series, MotoAmerica, GT World Challenge America, and all three of NASCAR\\u2019s top series. Designed by Hermann Tilke and Tavo Hellmund, and opened in 2012, the 3.426-mile track draws from several famous F1 tracks, including Brazil\\u2019s Interlagos, England\\u2019s Silverstone, Abu Dhabi\\u2019s Yas Marina, and Germany\\u2019s Hockenheim.  F1\\u2019s Charles Leclerc holds the fastest race lap record on the grand prix configuration, piloting his Ferrari SF90 to a time of 1:36.169 during the 2019 United States Grand Prix.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/HMP-Facebook-Houston-Motorsports-Park-min.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;97487&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Houston Motorsports Park, Houston&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;\\u201cThe Palace of Power,\\u201d Houston Motorsports Park features one of the fastest eighth-mile concrete dragstrips in the United States; the current record as of this writing is 3.717 seconds at 199 mph. Next to the strip is a 3\\\/8-mile paved oval, which hosts various drifting, Legends, eco stocks, and spectator racing events. The owners\\u2019 main goal is to get street racers off the streets of Houston and onto its eighth-mile by making HMP \\u201can attractive, safe and controlled venue\\u201d where all can test their skills and their high-horsepower machines.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/MSR-Houston-MSR-Houston-min.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;97489&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;MSR Houston, Angelton&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Motor Speedway Resort Houston opened in December 2005, and has since become one of the premier spots in the U.S. for many IndyCar teams looking to prepare for the upcoming season. Open 363 days of the year, many organizations flock to the facility\\u2019s 2.38-mile road course, including SCCA, Porsche Club of America, RIDE SMART, and the 24 Hours of Lemons. If your car\\u2019s not up to the task of taking on those 17 turns the road course possesses, you yourself might try your luck on the .75-mile karting track and its own 17 turns at up to 50 mph with MSR Houston\\u2019s own 9-horsepower karts. You can also drive one of the facility\\u2019s Mercedes-AMG machines on the road course as part of the Mercedes-AMG Experience packages.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/H2R-Harris-Hill-Raceway-min.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;97486&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Harris Hill Raceway, San Marcos&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Also known as H2R, Harris Hill Raceway is a small road course compared to some of the other entries here, but its 11-turn, 1.82-mile surface is challenging enough for everyone\\u2019s enjoyment and learning experiences. The Texas Motorcycle Academy hosts its motorcycle classes at H2R, whose membership includes six-to-eight track days per month. And for those who drive, the coaches at H2R are ready to help make the most of their students\\u2019 (and their cars\\u2019) abilities.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/CBS-Cotton-Bowl-Speedway-Facebook-min.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;97483&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Cotton Bowl Speedway, Paige&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Not too far from Austin in the unincorporated area of Paige is Cotton Bowl Speedway. The 3\\\/8-mile dirt track is an International Motor Contest Association-sanctioned facility, hosting IMCA SportMods and Stock Cars, as well as the Texas Dirt Truck Series and STIMS Modifieds. Monster trucks and Austin\\u2019s Lantern Fest also visit this short track.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/TMPX-Texas-Motorplex-Facebook-min.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;97491&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Texas Motorplex, Ennis&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;South of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in Ennis is NHRA\\u2019s first \\u201csuper track,\\u201d Texas Motorplex. Built in 1986 by NHRA funny car driver Billy Meyer, the quarter-mile dragstrip has been the host of the Texas NHRA FallNationals since its opening in 1986 (where Top Fuel driver Darrell Gwynn set a Top Fuel E.T. record of 5.280 on the first-ever pass on the quarter-mile. John Force, Kenny Bernstein and Tony Schumacher have all claimed wins over the decades since at the Motorplex.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/ECR-Eagles-Canyon-Raceway-Facebook-min.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;97485&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Eagles Canyon Raceway, Decatur&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Out in the North Texas town of Decatur is the 2.7-mile, 15-turn private road course known as Eagles Canyon Raceway. Built to the FIA-spec width of 40 feet with a 48-foot wide front straight, ECR offers drivers of all skill levels learning programs to improve their performance on the track, including a race licensing program for those wanting to take their racing career to the next level. SCCA, NASA, and the 24 Hours of Lemons have all visited ECR since the track\\u2019s opening in late 2007. And speaking of openings, ECR will open its 2.4-mile rally and 1.3-mile SxS (side-by-side) short courses \\u2013 the latter designed by off-road legend Ivan \\u201cIronman\\u201d Stewart \\u2013 for off-road training and racing starting in 2025.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/Big-O-Speedway-Sign-United-States-Racing-Association-min.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;97482&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Big O Speedway, Ennis&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Not too far away from Texas Motorplex is Big O Speedway, a quarter-mile high-banked dirt oval where the World of Outlaws would have brought their big 410 V8s during the early part of the organization\\u2019s campaign for the first time ever in 2024, but rain put a stop to those plans. When the big winged warriors are away, Big O offers plenty of big dirt action, including UMP modifieds, super late models, factory stocks, and even Ford Crown Victorias beatin\\u2019 and bangin\\u2019 \\u2018round the oval on a Texas Saturday night.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/KRP-Kennedale-Raceway-Park-Facebook-min.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;97488&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Kennedale Speedway Park, Kennedale&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Another quarter-mile dirt oval to join the World of Outlaws for 2024 is Kennedale Speedway Park, becoming part of the series\\u2019 history with the state of Texas, having been born in the Lone Star State in 1978. Outside of history, IMCA Mods, ASCS Outlaw Sprints, trailer races and other fun events fill out the short track\\u2019s calendar every year&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;}]\" itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>This time, we head to the land of big hair, big hats and VERY big racing.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":97480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3470,5029,4879],"tags":[9886,9911,2224],"class_list":["post-97445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-racing","category-slideshow","tag-road-trips","tag-road-trips-for-race-fans","tag-texas","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Road-Trips-for-People-Who-Love-Racing-Texas.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p42YSK-plH","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97445"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97445\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97492,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97445\/revisions\/97492"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}