Maryland International Raceway, Drag Strip

Maryland International Raceway is a quarter-mile drag racing facility located in Mechanicsville, Maryland. Its origins trace to 1964, when local entrepreneur Joe LaRoque bought farmland in St. Mary's County to build a dedicated drag strip, and the track opened in July 1966 as St. Mary's Drag-O-Way with the NASCAR Top Fuel Championships as its inaugural event. It was renamed Budds Creek Raceway under later owner Bill Cairns, then took the Maryland International Raceway name in the early 1970s when new operators added innovations such as dual Christmas trees for four-lane racing and an early digital timing system. The quarter-mile strip seats roughly 11,000 spectators and has been sanctioned over its history by bodies including NASCAR, NHRA, IHRA and the WDRA. Royce Miller, a former track champion, has been associated with the facility since 1989 and led much of its modern era, including a return to NHRA sanctioning announced for 2026. The track is scheduled to host the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals in 2026, its first NHRA national event since 1991. It runs a full season of professional and sportsman drag racing.

Organised by: Royce Miller

Also known as: St. Mary's Drag-O-Way, Budds Creek Raceway, MDIR, MIR