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MIR'S HISTORY
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Maryland International Raceway was
first built in 1966, by Joe LaRoque.
The very first opening event was in
July that year, and was called the
NASCAR Top Fuel Championships. This
event was won by Ronnie Still in a
Hemi Small Block Chevy. The
raceway's name at that time was St.
Mary's Drag-O-Way. Joe retained
ownership of the raceway for just a
little over a year.
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In 1967, Bill Cairns (a
car dealership owner)
bought the facility. He
renamed the track to
Budds Creek Raceway.
Bill was a St. Mary's
County resident himself.
The operation remained
under his control until
1972. The innovations
Bill Cairns introduced
to drag racing at his
newly named Budds Creek
Dragway continue to this
day. |
The track was then purchased by Tod
Mack and Larry Clayton. The name was
again changed to the present
Maryland International Raceway. Tod
actually worked for the NASCAR Drag
Division, and helped design it, when
LaRoque built the track. The
creative thinking and ingenuity of
both Tod and Larry built a
foundation for the sport of drag
racing as a whole. Their first U.S.
Pro Stock Open, back in 1975, was a
hit! The turnout for the event was
so much more than they expected, and
they actually ran out of tickets!
Among some of the
 innumerable
things that Tod and Larry did at the
raceway was at one time, there were
two Christmas trees on the track,
and four lanes. The timing system
was set up to register 1st, 2nd,
3rd, and 4th place. Four cars
actually competed, and it was an eye
opening show! Tod also developed the
very first digital timing system,
named DigiTime.
When they took over the track, the
part of the existing burnout box and
the pad was nothing but a large
canyon,
literally where the tower stands
now. This canyon was about 90' deep.
They decided to fill that incredible
span with gravel to make more room
around the starting line. If you've
ever been to MIR, you may have
noticed that right behind the
winner's circle near the starting
line, there is a large canyon. What
a project that was - to fill that
area with gravel about 90' deep,
hundreds of feet wide, and a couple
hundred feet long.
  Ownership
changed hands yet again to Royce and
Linda Miller. Leased by Miller in
late 1989, the name was unchanged.
Royce was actually the MIR Super Pro
Track Champion in 1984, too. The
track remained NHRA until 1991.
Then, in the opening of the 1992
season, MIR took a new leap to the
International Hot Rod Association.
With all of his racing and business
experience (he also owns commercial
real estate in Manassas, VA that he
leases), he was the right man for
the job. The lease agreement finally
ended when Miller purchased the
track in February, 1998.
Royce was joined along with his
wife, Linda, and sons, Jason and
Chris, as the full-time racing
operation continued under the Miller
name. MIR successfully grew into one
of the East Coast's premier drag
racing facilities through the
2000's. Events such as the IHRA
President's Cup, Nitro Jam, Mountain
Motor Nationals, Pinks, and World
Cup Finals all turned into
fan-favorite featured events and
showcased the growth of the
facility.
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In 2014, ownership
changed hands once more,
as IRG Sports &
Entertainment purchased
the track from the
Miller Family. the track
would be the 5th track
under the ownership of
IRGSE. While the track
name stayed the same,
the acronym changed to
MDIR, to show new
ownership. Royce stayed
on as the new Chief
Operating Office of
IRGSE, while Jason
became the Vice
President and General
Manager of MDIR, and
Chris held the position
of Director of
Administration and
Operations at MDIR. At
the end of 2016, the
Miller Brothers stepped
away from the facility,
which prompted Royce to
take the reigns as the
acting GM of MDIR while
continuing to be the COO
of IRGSE.
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He's Back!! At the end of 2021, just
before World Cup Finals, an
announcement was made to the delight
of many that Royce Miller would
re-acquire the facility from IRGSE.
Before the start of the 2022 season,
the MIR acronym would be re-adapted.
In 2023, MIR changed its sanctioning
body to the WDRA - World Drag Racing
Alliance, whose focus is on
sportsman racing. Royce is also a
member of the WDRA Track Advisory
Council.
Maryland International Raceway has
gone through a number of facelifts -
and there are currently plans for
additional improvements underway.
The track's appearance has changed
dramatically over the years, and a
lot of work has been done to make it
the facility that it is today.
There was once even talk about
changing the direction of the track
during Tod and Larry's ownership by
making the starting line where the
shutdown area is. In any event, the
track has changed for the best, with
credibility lending to everyone in
it's past. Many of the choices made,
both good and bad, have come
together to create a wonderful and
friendly atmosphere while delivering
intense and exciting drag racing!
Maryland International Raceway has
been in a number of headlines.
Featuring special events, community
efforts, features on the Junior
Dragster Program, and on and on. MIR
has also appeared on national
programs such as Dateline, and been
featured on several networks such as
ESPN, Speed Channel, TNN, Discovery,
and many of the Washington
Metropolitan Television News
Networks!
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