Welcome to Penwell Knights Raceway

Incorporation papers were fled for Odessa Dragway by Charles M. Leckbee on June 27th, 1966 and was located fifteen miles west of Odessa. The first races were held in September 1966, with a "Big Fuel Meet" on Sunday, September 11, 1966. Top fuel racers who entered included Bennie Osborn, Beaver Brothers, Ray Whisenhunt, Creitz & Greet, and over twenty others. Although incorporated as Odessa Dragway, this track opened under the name Odessa Raceway Park. It was 4,000 feet long and was known for having excellent traction in 1967 and was sanctioned by AHRA.

 

On May 4-5, 1968, Odessa hosted an NHRA regional points meet. Where over 7,000 people saw Bennie Osborn take Top Fuel Eliminator with a 7.20 ET at 207.84 MPH. In 1975, Bill Smith and Bill Hielscher bought the race track and renamed it Odessa International Raceway, running under that name through 1976. Names like Don Garlits, Shirley Muldowney, Tommy Ivo, Don Prudhomme, Raymond Beadle and John Force have all competed in Odessa. On June 25-27, 1976, Odessa International Raceway hosted the AHRA Longhorn Nationals. Tom McEwen headlined the funny car competitors. The name was changed to Penwell Raceway in late 1977. Ronnie Burrows bought the strip around 1996, operating the track through 2007.

 

In 2008, Gary Gardenhire bought the racetrack and renamed it Penwell Knights Raceway and made improvements at a cost of more than $1.5 million in updates and renovations. Gardenhire is still the current owner and manager of the facility, which now hosts many of the top attractions in racing. Including, The Bounty Hunters No Prep Nationals, Flashlight Drags, Funny Car Chaos and more. The facility is IHRA sanctioned bringing top competitors to competition in the IHRA bracket series. Many additional events are held each year including street legal drags, fundraisers and toy drives, and heads up shootouts!

 

In 2020, major improvements to the facility were made to increase the enjoyment for both the racers, spectators, and sponsors of Penwell Knights Raceway. Current world champions such as Mike Murillo and Ken Singleton headline their feature events each season and attract thousands of spectators through the gates of Penwell Knights Raceway each year. Racers from Ages 5 - 85 have a class and place to race at PKR and the track team anticipates a fantastic 2025 season as the best place to race in West Texas!