Effort to curb street racing for TX2K19 Roll & Drag Race Nationals weekend

BAYTOWN, Texas (FOX 26) — Here's some irony for you: Traffic into the Houston Raceway Park in Baytown is crawling even before the races begin. People who live around the site say that far too often, the raceway spills into their streets.

"I got small kids in my yard out here playing and they can't do nothing," complained Robby Durdin. "There's been three dogs killed right here because of this crap." 

It's not just dogs that are dying — people as well.

This week alone, two street racers have died while driving away from police.

Houston has a major street racing subculture and the TX2K is its Super Bowl.

"We know it's coming," said Sean Teare, head of the Harris County District Attorney's Office Vehicular Crimes Division. "They know we know it's coming. So we are prepared just like we were last year."

"They know" because street racers aren't shy about posting on social media about their meet-ups. The challenge to law enforcement is finding those meet-ups and breaking them up before anybody gets hurt or killed.

Law enforcement officers are doing something novel for 2019. They will have marked units saturating the usual racing areas, along with "ghost" cars and helicopters. But they will also have what they call "cool cars," tricked-out street race cars of their own.

"Unless you know who your friend is in the next car, it might be a police officer tonight and tomorrow," added Teare. "Every agency in the area is on board with this."

FOX 26 News cannot show you what the "cool cars" look like because they are used by undercover officers, but you have been warned.

Head to Baytown or another track or possibly head to jail or the morgue.

"Just stop it," said Teare.