HOUSTON -- Motorsports fans that dream of driving an 7,000-horsepower Funny Car down the quarter-mile strip in 4.7 seconds at 325 mph will have a chance to do the next best thing when Houston Raceway Park and the City of Baytown Chamber of Commerce host the second annual Baytown Hot Rod Rally from 5-8 p.m., Wednesday, March 26, at San Jacinto Mall.

The POWERade Drag Racing Series is hosting the largest motorsports event of the year in southeast Texas from March 28-30 at Baytown's Houston Raceway Park with the 21st annual O'Reilly Spring NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil. The second annual Hot Rod Rally will serve as the official kick-off party for the drag race, which draws more than 100,000 people to the Houston area over the course of three days.

The main draw of the free festival will be the two-car POWERade Funny Car simulator that allows wannabe racers to experience a full pass in a virtual drag racing world, compete with the sound and fury of the real thing. "It's as close to drag racing as you can get without actually driving a car down the strip," Top Fuel pro Doug Foley said.

Foley should know; when he's not racing himself, he's teaching students how to drag race at his New Jersey-based facility -- Doug Foley's Drag Racing School.

If the virtual world isn't good enough, fans will also get a prerace whiff of nitromethane fuel when FIA European Champion Urs Erbacher of Switzerland fires up his Century Asphalt dragster at 7 p.m. to let fans feel the thunder of 8,000 horsepower. Century Asphalt is a locally-based company that is supporting the Erbacher for this event.

Both Foley and Erbacher will be on hand to meet and greet fans. They'll also have their real racecars on display, alongside Antron Brown's Matco Tools Iron Eagle dragster, local hero Josh Hernandez's Tommy Lipar Racing Chevrolet Camaro Pro Modified car, Greg Stanfield's Attitude Apparel Pontiac GXP Pro Stock car, Matt Hartford's Nickens Racing Dodge Stratus Pro Stock car, and Chris Rivas' G2 Drag Specialties S&S Buell V-Twin Pro Stock Motorcycle.

The show represents one of the best chances ever for local fans to meet some of the biggest stars in the sport of drag racing, from both sides of the Atlantic.

Additionally, Baytown's own Bayshore Fine Rides Car Club will have its extensive collection of custom and restored cars on display. A giant screen TV from Motel 6 Vision will also play clips of various drag races throughout the evening.

For more information on this free event, or for tickets to the O'Reilly Spring NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil, contact Houston Raceway Park at 281-383-RACE or the City of Baytown Chamber of Commerce at 281-422-8359.