Outlaw drag racing, Trans-Am Series provide Labor Day lineup at Brainerd Int’l Raceway
BRAINERD, Minn. – With 1,000-horsepower cars thundering down the drag strip and high-performance sports cars flying around the road course with pro drivers strapped behind the wheel, race fans will be treated to an incredible display of motorsports Labor Day weekend at Brainerd International Raceway.
On the drag strip is the 23rd Annual Muscle Car Shootout. On the Competition Road Course is the SCCA Trans-Am Series. Between the two is a classic car show, live music Saturday night, on-site camping and activities for BIR’s half-pint fans, all of which have made the event a perennial favorite among race fans for nearly a quarter century. Racing runs Sept. 2-4, rain or shine.
The Muscle Car Shootout has special importance again this year because it’s the grand finale of the three-race Muscle Car Series that highlights the “fast five” classes and 14 other drag racing classes. When the dust settles Sunday, series champions will be crowned in 10 different classes.
The fast five classes are Pro Outlaw, Outlaw, King Street, Real Street and True Street, where speeds can top 200 mph and times can dip below 7 seconds. Cars competing in the street classes continue to get faster in the quarter mile, with King Street classes breaking 8 seconds. The street classes must prove that they’re street-legal by participating in a slow cruise on Saturday night around BIR’s road course, which shows that their motors can handle slow speeds like you’d find on the street.
This year, BIR added five classes to the Muscle Car Series: Truck Eliminator and Strip Eliminator 1, 2 and 3. Plus, the winners of the 10 Index Classes also earn points, with a series championship going to the driver with the most points at the end of the season.
Friday and Saturday are qualifying sessions while Sunday features elimination rounds.
Over on BIR’s Competition Road Course the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Pro Racing is back with a bigger and better Trans-Am Series, which will share the track with several other racing classes, including the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup. The weekend’s event will be a double-race weekend for the two Trans-Am Series classes (Trans-Am and Trans-Am 2), meaning that there will be practice, qualifying and racing both Saturday and Sunday for each. Drivers can earn twice as many points by the end of the weekend, and with only one race left on their schedule, drivers will be gunning for every available point.
The Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup, which is a new addition to the lineup, also has only one race left on the schedule, creating a sense of urgency for drivers in the running for a championship.
The Trans-Am Series returned to BIR last year after a 20-year hiatus. The series was one of BIR’s most popular events in the 1970s and ‘80s, starting with the Uncola Nationals in 1974, which attracted 17,000 fans. Professional racers like NASCAR’s Ken Schrader and Jimmy Spencer were among those who raced in the series at BIR, but it was actor Paul Newman who attracted the most attention. He set a lap record during the 1977 Uncola Nationals and then won races in 1978 and 1979. He won his first professional race during the 1982 Trans-Am Series race here.
The series has gone through many changes over the years, but its back with highly skilled drivers who race high-performance sports cars like the Jaguar XKR, Camaros, Corvettes, Ford Mustangs, Porsches and cars in the GT2 and GT3 classes.
The Trans-Am and Trans-Am 2 classes are separate but will be on the track at the same time, generating some great wheel-to-wheel racing as they take on BIR’s highly technical 2.5-mile, 13-turn track. Friday is a testing day for all classes. Saturday and Sunday’s racing includes practice, qualifying and racing for all classes, including SCCA Pro Spec Racer and the SCCA Pro Formula Enterprise.
“The Trans-Am Series will be a lot bigger and better than last year’s race, which we’re really excited about,” BIR owner Jed Copham said. “The Muscle Car Shootout always puts on a great show for the fans, which is why it’s our second largest race of the season. Between the Trans-Am Series, the Muscle Car Shootout, the car show, the live music and everything else that’s going on that weekend, fans are in for a fantastic time and an outstanding way to close out their summer.”
Tickets are available at the gate. Daily admission is $20 for adults and $10 for kids ages 6-12. Kids 5 and younger are free.
Now in its 43rd season, Brainerd International Raceway is one of North America’s largest race tracks, featuring a world-class quarter-mile drag strip, the 3.1-mile, 10-turn Donnybrooke Road Course, the 2.5-mile, 13-turn Competition Road Course, 300 acres for rustic camping, 164 full-service RV sites and 12 on-site condos. BIR is about 120 miles north of the Twin Cities. For more information, visit www.BrainerdRaceway.com, or call 1-866-444-4455.
DAILY SCHEDULE
Thursday
5 pm Gates open
Friday
8 am – 3:40 pm Testing for all classes – TAS
8:35-9 am SCCA Trans-Am Series testing - TAS
10 am-5 pm Time Trials open for all drag racing classes – MCS
10:55-11:20 am SCCA Trans-Am Series testing - TAS
Noon 1st Round qualifying: Fast Five Classes – MCS
3:15-3:40 pm SCCA Trans-Am Series testing - TAS
4 pm 2nd Round qualifying: Fast Five Classes – MCS
6:20-7 pm SCCA Trans-Am Series practice - TAS
Saturday
8 – 10:40 am Practice sessions – TAS
8 – noon Car Show Registration
8:40-9:20 am SCCA Trans-Am Series practice - TAS
9 am – 6 pm Drag racing time trials – MCS
10:50 – 11:20 am Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup qualifying race No. 1 - TAS
11:30 am – 12:10 pm SCCA Trans-Am Series qualifying race No. 1 - TAS
1 pm 3rd round qualifying: Fast Five Classes - MCS
1 – 4 pm Car Show Judging
2:35 – 3:30 pm Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup race No. 1 - TAS
3:30 pm 4th round qualifying: Pro Outlaw, Outlaw, King Street, Real Street - MCS
3:40 – 5:10 pm SCCA Trans-Am Series race No. 1 (100 miles/40 laps) - TAS
5 pm Car Show Award Ceremony
6:30 pm 4 laps on the road course for competitors in the “street classes” - MCS
9 pm – midnight Live music by Them Pesky Kids at the Wheelie Bar & Grille
Sunday
8 – 10:10 am Practice sessions, all classes - TAS
8:40 – 9:10 am SCCA Trans-Am Series practice – TAS
9 am Class eliminations begin - MCS
10:20 – 10:50 am Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup qualifying race – TAS
11-11:30 am SCCA Trans-Am Series qualifying race – TAS
1:35 – 2:25 pm Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup Race – TAS
2:35 – 4:05 pm SCCA Trans-Am Series race (100 miles/40 laps) - TAS
MCS – Muscle Car Shootout
TAS – SCCA Trans-Am Series
