Since 1968, the track at Brainerd International Raceway has been a central fixture in Upper Midwest motorsports. The facility boasts some 800 acres, just northwest of the city of Brainerd, Minnesota, along the south side of North Long Lake, and only 2.5 hours from Duluth and Saint Paul. Brainerd is home to the 2.5-mile, 13-turn Competition Road Course and the 3.1-mile, 10-turn Donnybrooke Road Course, in addition to its famed 0.25-mile dragstrip. Brainerd International Raceway also functions as a self-contained resort, featuring numerous services and amenities, including karting and driving school facilities, restaurant and retail spaces, camping areas and more.

History of Brainerd International Raceway

Brainerd International Raceway’s history goes back to the 1960s. George Montgomery, a retired Northwest Airlines pilot and amateur road racer, owned a Shelby 427 Cobra, but had nowhere nearby to race it. Montgomery began buying small plots of land with the idea of building a track. By 1967, he had enough acreage and began carving a path through the woods with the help of Bill Peters, Sr., founder of the SCCA Land O’Lakes regional chapter.

The track took shape with the construction of a nearly one-mile-long straight and a sweeping first turn. At the time, they were the longest straight and fastest turn, respectively, of any U.S. road course. Over 10 turns and 3.1 miles, the course looped back around to the starting line. Montgomery originally named his track Donnybrooke Speedway in honor of Donny Skogmo and Brooke Kinnard, two Minneapolis-area SCCA competitors who had died in track accidents in 1965 and 1966.

Donnybrooke opened with an NHRA drag race event on the main straight in July 1968. It was won by Doc Halladay. An SCCA road race followed the next month. From the beginning, the course was a hit with drivers and spectators, even though grandstand and restroom facilities had yet to be built. The early years of the track were largely successful. Donnybrooke developed a reputation as a world-class motorsports facility, hosting race events for NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car, USAC Indy Car, Can-Am, Trans Am and SCCA.

The track went through a number of changes over the following decades. In 1973, it was purchased by top SCCA racer Jerry Hansen and renamed Brainerd International Raceway. From this point, the facility focused on road racing over drag racing, hosting the SCCA Nationals in 1974 in front of 17,000 fans. In the 1980s, the track became a favorite with motorcycle racers, hosting the World Superbike Championships in 1989. With a sale to Michigan businessman Donald “The Colonel” Williamson in 1994, the track returned to its roots with a greater focus on drag racing, growing the audience for the NHRA Nationals weekend to over 100,000.

In 2006, Brainerd was sold to Jed and Kristi Copham, who soon got to work with improvements. Brainerd debuted its second championship-style road course in 2008, which followed the original track until Turn 8, where a 300-degree, right-hand clover leaf led drivers on a new stretch of track through the infield and back to the original circuit near Turn 1. This new 2.5-mile, 13-turn course had the advantage of being able to operate at the same time as drag race events held on the old track’s drag strip, solving the long-time question of how to give equal space to two popular motorsport fanbases. Today, Brainerd continues to grow in popularity with road racing, drag racing, karting and driving schools.

Fun Facts About Brainerd International Raceway

  • Former Brainerd owner Jerry Hansen holds the record as the winningest driver in SCCA history, with 27 National Championship titles. Hansen remained active after becoming owner of the track and continued to compete and win races into the 1980s.
  • Famed Indianapolis 500 and Formula One driver Mario Andretti was one of many famous drivers who raced at Brainerd, however, he was also brought onto the Board of Directors by Jerry Hansen, where he served for many years.
  • Hollywood actor and driver Paul Newman was also drawn to the track at Brainerd, setting a lap record there in 1977 during Trans-Am Nationals, and winning races in 1978 and 1979. He also won his first professional race there in 1982.
  • Eight-time NHRA champion Tony Schumacher set a world record in the standing start quarter-mile acceleration race at Brainerd in 2005, with a lightning-fast Top Fuel drag race speed of 337.58 mph.
  • In 2022, a memorial scholarship fund was established at the University of Wisconsin-Stout to honor track owner and Stout alum Jed Copham, who was killed in a boating accident in 2018. The scholarship was designed to support three students and one professor in the school’s engineering and technology programs working in motorsports and automobile research.

Events at Brainerd International Raceway are always exciting. Find a complete schedule of upcoming events at Brainerd International Raceway. And as always, make sure you and your car are protected during track day events with insurance from Lockton Motorsports. Find the policy that fits your needs and explore more track resources.