West Texas Mile debuts in Colorado City, drawing racers and families from across the country

COLORADO CITY, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – The Colorado City Airport is roaring to life this weekend as racers from across the country gather for the inaugural West Texas Mile, a standing-start, one-mile land speed event that’s putting West Texas on the motorsports map.

Unlike traditional drag racing, the West Texas Mile isn’t about side-by-side eliminations. Instead, each driver races against the clock — and the record books — to see how fast they can go over a full mile of fresh Texas runway. Every run is professionally timed and sanctioned by the East Coast Timing Association (ECTA), a world leader in land speed competition.

Event coordinator and promoter Blake Duncan told KTAB/KRBC he’s thrilled by the community response. “Oh, I’m absolutely thrilled to death. I’m blown away how much community involvement we’ve had on this — not only locals, but state and national. For such an event this size to come together within 60 days is pretty amazing,” Duncan said.

Among the racers taking part is Johnny Cheese, a motorcycle racer from Georgetown, Texas, who has competed across the country. Cheese said the family-friendly atmosphere is what drew him to the event. “When I heard about it, I signed up for it, got here, brought two motorcycles, so I’d have more than enough fun out here. And the best part about it, it’s family. So when something like this shows up, it’s family-oriented. You’ll see children, you’ll see wives, husbands, everybody here and everybody talks to everybody, everybody is friendly,” he said.

The Colorado City Airport offers 8,909 feet of runway, giving racers nearly 1.7 miles of space to push their machines to the limit. Throughout the weekend, spectators can catch high-speed runs, local vendors, and live entertainment as the festival continues.

The West Texas Mile runs through Sunday, with racers continuing to chase new top-speed records under the West Texas sky.