'Start of a good relationship': Man arrested for street racing invites HPD to meet him at the track

CLEVELAND, Texas (KTRK) -- Last weekend Randy Seals and a few friends decided to go street racing. This was after Houston police announced they were cracking down on the illegal activity.

"Everything was grand until I got out of the truck, and handcuffs were waiting on me," Seals said.

When Seals was arrested for street racing, the Houston Police Union posted pictures of him in cuffs, poking fun at the driver.

"Something like this, you just have to roll with it," Seals said.

Seals spent 22 hours in a Houston jail. When he was released, he traded his cell bars for role bars, and offered to Houston police, if Seals were to get them a car, would they take it to the track?

"We thought what a great opportunity," HPD Sgt. Christian Dorton said.

Dorton and Seals are embracing the situation by decking out the car with custom bacon racing stripes, donuts, and Dorton's personal cuffs he has used to arrest criminals for the past ten years.

"Police are just like everyone else, just like how people in legal motorsport do all the big race tracks. They're regular people just like everyone else," Dorton said.

When Seals made the offer for police to come out to 105 SpeedWay in Cleveland, police saw it as a way to start a dialogue.

"Other than playing PlayStation when I was a kid, and I think I went to Malibu Grand Prix one time when I was a kid, I don't have any racing experience. But I can tell a lot of people in Houston Gardens, Trinity Gardens, and Fifth Ward that have led us on police pursuits for the last 15 years that I have some experience on city streets," Dorton said.

Seals said his days of crime are behind him, and while this weekend is positive, he'll happily leave it in the rearview mirror.

"I think it's the start of a good relationship," Seals said.