The track opened in July 1968 by George Montgomery and Bud Stahel, after clearing a wooded area on the south side of
North Long Lake. It was originally named Donnybrooke Speedway, after road racers Donny Skogmo and Brooke Kinnard who had fatal crashes at
Road America two years earlier. The venue had no safety barriers, run-out areas, grandstands or even restrooms. It was
SCCA's first venue in the region. It was also an
NHRA-sanctioned track, with the first official event there an NHRA race, at the opening;
Top Fuel Dragster was won by Doc Halladay. Donnybrooke, played host to
CanAm races in 1970, 1971, and 1972. These races were won by, respectively,
Denny Hulme,
Peter Revson, and
François Cevert. In 1973 Jerry Hansen bought the track and renamed it Brainerd International Raceway. In the 1970s, the Donnybrooke track began holding
Funny Car events, in particular the
Crown Auto Funny Car Championships, and in time, NHRA was convinced to stage a national event at Brainerd: in 1982,
Shirley Muldowney (in Top Fuel Dragster),
Frank Hawley (Top Fuel Funny Car), and
Lee Shepherd (
Pro Stock) were the headline winners at the first Quaker State North Star NHRA Nationals. ==Track Information==