Brainerd International Raceway facts for kids
  |
|
| Location | Crow Wing County, NW of Brainerd, Minnesota, United States |
|---|---|
| Major events | NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals |
| Length | 4.989 km (3.100 mi) |
| Turns | 10 |
Brainerd International Raceway is a super exciting place in Minnesota where people race cars and motorcycles! It's located northwest of the city of Brainerd, Minnesota. This big racing complex has different tracks. There's a really fast 0.25-mile (0.402 km) dragstrip, and two road courses that are 2.5-mile (4.023 km) and 3.1-mile (4.989 km) long. You can even find a track for kart racing here!
The raceway hosts big events like the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals. It's also a popular track for the Trans Am Series. Lots of fans can come to watch the races, as the circuit can hold about 20,000 people!
Contents
History of Brainerd International Raceway
Brainerd International Raceway first opened in July 1968. Back then, it was called Donnybrooke Speedway. When it first started, it was very basic. There weren't many safety barriers, special run-off areas, or even grandstands for fans. George Montgomery and Bud Stall helped clear the land for the track through a wooded area.
This track was the first place in the region for the SCCA to hold races. It was also approved by the NHRA. The very first official event was an NHRA race, where Doc Halladay won in a Top Fuel Dragster. In 1969, it even hosted a race for USAC Indy Cars, with wins by Gordon Johncock and Dan Gurney.
New Name and Famous Races
In 1973, Jerry Hansen bought the track and changed its name to Brainerd International Raceway. In the early 1970s, the track hosted exciting CanAm races. Famous drivers like Denny Hulme, Peter Revson, and François Cevert won these races.
Later in the 1970s, the track started holding Funny Car events. Eventually, the NHRA decided to have a big national event at Brainerd. In 1982, the first Quaker State North Star NHRA Nationals took place. Shirley Muldowney won in Top Fuel Dragster, Frank Hawley won in Top Fuel Funny Car, and Lee Shepherd won in Pro Stock.
Setting Speed Records
The Brainerd dragstrip became known as one of the "quickest and fastest in the world." It was completely redone in 2003 to make it even better. In 2005, Tony Schumacher set an amazing speed record of 337.58 mph (543.28 km/h). This was the fastest quarter-mile time ever recorded at that time! In 2016 and 2017, new national NHRA records for Funny Cars were also set here.
A famous racer named Kenny Bernstein won at Brainerd five times. He won in Top Fuel Funny Car in 1983 and 1987. He also won in Top Fuel Dragster in 1991, 1996, and 2002.
In 2006, Jed and Kristi Copham became the new owners of Brainerd International Raceway. The track also hosted some NASCAR K&N Pro Series West races in 2012 and 2013. In 2015, a big thunderstorm caused some damage to the raceway.
About the Tracks at Brainerd International Raceway
Brainerd International Raceway has two road tracks and one dragstrip for different kinds of racing.
Donnybrooke Road Course
This course keeps the original name from when the track first opened. It's used for both car and motorcycle racing. The Donnybrooke Road Course is 3.1-mile (4.989 km) long and has 10 turns. It's a very wide track, especially the main straight part, which is 60 feet wide. The track is mostly flat, without many hills.
This is a high-speed course where vehicles can reach speeds of almost 180 miles per hour! Even the slowest corners can be taken at around 80 miles per hour. There are wide run-off areas at most turns, which makes this road course very safe for racers. This track uses the dragstrip as part of its layout.
Competition Road Course
The Competition Road Course is a newer track, first used for racing in 2009. It is 2.5-mile (4.023 km) long. The first turn on this course is the same as on the longer Donnybrooke course. This Turn 1 is a fast, banked right-hand turn that cars can take at full speed.
The Competition Road Course uses Turns 1 through 8 from the original 3.1-mile track. After Turn 8, drivers go onto a new section of asphalt that winds back across the middle of the track. This new part avoids the dragstrip. In total, the Competition Road Course has 13 turns and also has very little change in height.
The Dragstrip
The dragstrip at Brainerd goes all the way back to 1969. That's when the raceway turned a long, straight part of its road course into a dragstrip. In 1977, it hosted the Crown Auto Funny Car Championships.
The dragstrip was rebuilt in 2005. A new 700-foot concrete launch pad was added, and new asphalt was put down for the remaining 600 feet. As mentioned before, Tony Schumacher set a world record here in 2005. He reached an incredible speed of 337.58 mph (543.28 km/h) in his top fuel dragster! This speed was recorded at the end of a standing start quarter-mile race. Since 2008, NHRA top fuel and funny car races are now 1,000 ft (304.8 m) long.
