Over the last few years, due to the economy as well as other factors, car counts at race tracks have suffered to the point where some classes were canceled, or in extreme cases, some tracks have been forced to close their doors for good. However, one group in Texas is taking the bull by the horns, bringing Legends racing back to Texas.
Legends (and Bandoleros) used to race across the great state of Texas at various race tracks, including at Houston Motorsports Park, El Paso Speedway Park, and Texas Motor Speedway on the front stretch of the big track and on their small Lil’ Texas Motor Speedway. However, at HMP, Legends and Bandoleros stopped racing around 2015, El Paso closed, and around 2020, they stopped racing at TMS.
Legends racing in Texas became extinct. Or so it appeared.
In 2023, a few racers got together to form and run Texas Independent Racing. TIR, run by Dane Schwarz, Jamie Call, and Christopher Hogan.
“We started off with just two cars in March last year at Houston Motorsports Park,” TIR co-owner Schwarz told LN. “By the end of the season we had seven cars, and started off this year with more than 10 cars at our races and growing.”
While the TIR team will be taking their fleet of cars to other venues throughout the year, including to Sunny South Raceway in Alabama, they are focusing their efforts on growing the Texas group of Legends racers at Houston Motorsports Park. Several more races are already scheduled for 2024 at HMP.
While the races at HMP aren’t currently sanctioned by INEX, Schwarz said the plan is to make that happen next year.
“We have already had talks with INEX about sanctioning in 2025,” said Schwarz. “We decided to focus on this year being a building year and get HMP sanctioned next season. We have already had a lot of interest from drivers in Texas as well as in other surrounding states to come race with us. We are excited to bring Legends racing back to Texas.”
Schwarz also told LN eventual goals would be to get Bandoleros back racing in the state, and also possibly return to racing at Texas Motor Speedway on the front stretch quarter mile (as the Lil’ Texas Motor Speedway track on site has been turned to dirt).
The next scheduled Legends race at Houston Motorsports Park will be on June 22, which will be followed by races on July 6, August 3 and 17, September 21, October 19, and November 9.
Legends Nation will be on hand at the June 22 racing action at HMP. For more on Texas Independent Racing, visit their Facebook page here. For more on Houston Motorsports Park, visit their website at HoustonMotorsportsPark.com.
