Brainerd Motorsports Park is a beloved facility that’s rich in history, and has operated in multiple states as the track is approaching seven decades of operation. The original locale of this dragstrip was in Hixson, Tennessee, and dates back to the late 1950s. Sometime around the early-to-mid-1960s the track moved to Ringgold, Georgia, which is roughly a half-hour south of Hixson, where it remains in operation to this present day.
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #195, the Women of Power Issue, in July/August 2025.
No surprise, this track operated as a quarter-mile facility until roughly the mid-1970s, when performance levels begin to exceed stopping distance, so the decision was made to shorten the track to an eighth mile.
Track owners Steven and Amy Farrow have had a long history with the track, and they even met because of a mutual love of the sport. “I drove a 1968 Camaro in high school, and even though I wasn’t supposed to bring it to the track, I wound up coming here anyway,” Steven laughs. His dad used to help a local race team and Steven would sometimes come to watch, and eventually he too started helping the team. By the time he was a senior in high school, he was racing a center-steer 1923 roadster on a regular basis.
Eventually, Steven became interested in leasing the track to hold his own events, before eventually leasing it fulltime in 2016. When 2021 rolled around, the opportunity came for Steven and Amy to buy the track, so that’s exactly what they did.
Together, they wear several hats with regards to operating the track. “Amy runs the computer and also announces when our regular announcer is busy doing another job at the track,” Steven says. The Farrows also own and operate an automotive repair shop and engine shop. “That’s our day job, so we stay pretty busy!” he adds.
They’ve performed many updates to the track in recent years, many of which were done while they were still leasing it. By 2016, the shutdown was getting pretty rough, so it was repaired along with the return road. The steel guardrails were also removed and replaced with concrete guard walls.
The Farrows have many additional plans to update this track, including an expanded layout of the pits. “Back when this place was built, all we had was pickup trucks and open trailers! The modern rigs we have today are huge and the parking is tight, so we hope to expand the pits with new asphalt and also install power hookups,” says Steven.
In the meantime, they’re making the most of the facility they have, and enjoy large crowds for many of their events. “I’ve done a lot of traveling over the years, and I can honestly say that we’ve got the best racers and fans anywhere!” smiles Steven.
Last Thanksgiving, the Farrows were on the verge of cancelling a Jr. Dragster race because the forecasted temperature wasn’t getting out of the 30s, but early in the week, calls began pouring in from parents who pledged their support. “We went ahead and had the race, and the turnout was incredible! We had 150 entries, and it was so cold the water box was freezing up! The kids didn’t seem to mind at all, and we actually had such a great time and must have burned 10 truckloads of wood that weekend.”
Another memorable event in 2024 was the Pro Mod race they hosted. Steve admitted that he’d have been thrilled with 16 cars to make it a full field, but when 29 Pro Mods came through the gate, he was completely shocked. “The weather was perfect that weekend and it was a really great event,” he recalls.
The 2025 race schedule is ambitious to say the least, with lots of great events on tap, including two brand-new ones for this year. “We’ve never had an all-door-car race here before, so that’s new for 2025, and also a bottom bulb footbrake event is on the schedule.” Pro Mods are coming back multiple times this season, along with the mega-popular Southeast Gassers. Ten WDRA-sanctioned bracket points races are on tap this year, and so much more.
The racing action usually keeps going until about the first or second week of December before they shut down for the season. “This is a family-operated facility; Amy’s parents help us run this place and we’re looking forward to another great year of racing!” concludes Steven.
The post Building a Legacy: Farrow Husband-and-Wife Duo Lead Brainerd Motorsports Park Towards 70-Year Milestone first appeared on Drag Illustrated.