New San Angelo dragway races toward completion

SAN ANGELO, Texas ( Concho Valley Homepage ) — San Angelo street racers, rev your engines — a new drag racing venue is coming to town, offering high-octane thrills to drivers and attendees alike.

The venue, called the Concho Valley Dragway, is planned to be built off of Arden Road near Winger Road. The 86-acre facility is expected to house a 2,100-foot dragstrip and seat at least “a few hundred” spectators, according to Justin Harvey, the dragway’s track manager and promoter. It is scheduled to open in June 2024.

The idea of constructing the facility began approximately 3-4 months ago when efforts by several drag racers and ex-drag racers in the community to legalize a road in town for street racing fell through.

“We have seen the growth in street racing in the area, and we have tried very hard to get a legalized street so that we could do this stuff legally and in a safe environment, and we failed at every stop,” Harvey said. “So we went out on our own, and with some help of some good friends and some other fellow drag racers, they stepped up with some land donations and money donations, and we decided we were going to build a drag strip.”

Though the main body of supporters consists of drag racers so far, local business owners have also taken a chance on the dragway.

“Most of the people that have stepped up to help so far are fellow drag racers or people in the community who are business owners that see the potential in what we’re doing,” Harvey said. “They see the good that’s going to come from it, and they just want to be a part of it.”

The group plans to use the location for more than just drag races, though — concerts, car and bike shows and more are already booked for the dragway. Harvey said that a concert expected to see big names in country music, such as Koe Wetzel, is slated for near the end of 2024, and multiple vehicle shows are planned for the end of the summer.

“We plan to do more than just drag racing,” Harvey said. “It’s a venue for lots of different kinds of events.”

The people behind the dragstrip hope that the facility’s impact on the Concho Valley extends beyond providing a safe, legal environment for racers. They hope that the location becomes a place where good memories are made and a reminder that even the smallest of contributions can add up to something great.

“We hope that it just shows that when everybody comes together we can move mountains,” Harvey said. “We hope that not only does it get people off the streets and it gives everybody a controlled, safe place to hang out and run their hot rods and make memories, but we also hope that it brings the community together as a whole. It shows that we can all do a little something to contribute to a good time.”

To see more updates or offer support for the Concho Valley Dragway, visit its Facebook page . The Concho Valley Dragway would like to extend special thanks to the following businesses for contributing to the development of the venue thus far:

• Winger Race Engines
• Precision H Transport LLC
• Tom Thorp Transports
• Yellow House Machinery
• Angelo Automotive
• West Texas Steel

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com.