Here’s the current Maryland picture on street racing / speed contests, and what was newly tightened:
1) What changed (major 2024 change)
Maryland’s 2024 law (SB 442, Chapter 570) took effect June 1, 2024. (Maryland General Assembly)
It kept race/speed-contest conduct illegal and explicitly applies to both highways and private property used by the public in general. (Maryland General Assembly)
It also added a new offense: “exhibition driving” (targeting stunt/donut-type behavior near crowds), codified as §21-1116.1. (Maryland General Assembly)
2) Criminal penalties now tied to race/speed contest and exhibition driving
For driving in a race/speed contest (§21-1116(a)(1)), penalty is up to 60 days jail and/or up to $1,000 fine; if it results in serious bodily injury, up to 1 year jail and/or up to $1,000 fine. (Maryland General Assembly)
For exhibition driving (§21-1116.1), base penalty is also up to 60 days jail and/or up to $1,000 fine; if serious bodily injury results, up to 1 year jail and/or up to $1,000 fine. (Maryland General Assembly)
3) License-point consequences were stiffened/clarified
Maryland’s point statute (§16-402) assigns:
- 8 points for participating in a race/speed contest
- 8 points for exhibition driving
- 12 points if either causes serious bodily injury (Maryland General Assembly)
And under MVA’s point-accumulation rules, 8–11 points = suspension notice, 12+ points = revocation notice. ([MVA][4])
4) Practical court handling (why people feel this got “more criminal”)
District Court’s traffic fine schedule marks race driving (§21-1116(a)(1)) and exhibition driving (§21-1116.1) as MA (must appear), with 8-point and 12-point serious-injury variants, while timekeeper/flagman conduct under §21-1116(a)(2) is listed as a payable fine entry ($290/5 points). (Maryland Courts)
5) Related (not race-specific) 2025 tightening
Separate from the racing statute, Maryland also updated reckless/negligent driving rules: reckless now includes driving at least 30 mph over the posted limit, with up to 60 days jail / $1,000; negligent cap increased to $750. That 2025 act is set to take effect Oct. 1, 2025. (Maryland General Assembly)
If you want, I can break this down next into a one-page “charge-by-charge” matrix (conduct → statute → max penalty → points → typical court handling).
[4]: https://mva.maryland.gov/about-mva/Pages/info/26100/26100-02T.aspxAs of February 9, 2026, Maryland’s “new” street-racing law is the 2024 enactment (SB 442 / Chapter 570), effective June 1, 2024, which expanded and tightened penalties for street racing and added exhibition-driving provisions. (Maryland General Assembly)
For race/speed contest under Transportation §21-1116:
- Basic offense: up to 60 days jail and/or up to $1,000 fine.
- If it results in serious bodily injury: up to 1 year jail and/or up to $1,000 fine. (Maryland General Assembly)
License points (MVA) for these offenses:
- 8 points for participating in a race/speed contest.
- 12 points if the race/speed contest results in serious bodily injury.
- Exhibition-driving entries are also listed at 8/12 depending on injury outcome. (Maryland General Assembly)
On your felony question: under Transportation §27-101, Maryland Vehicle Law violations are misdemeanors unless the law specifically makes them a felony. The street-racing sections above set jail/fine penalties but do not label street racing itself as a felony offense. (Maryland General Assembly)
There is also a special-event-zone statute (§21-1132) with related prohibitions and penalties (including up to 60 days/$1,000 for exhibition driving in that zone), but again not labeled as a felony in that section. (Maryland General Assembly)