Track Profile

Dixie Motor Speedway/Birch Run Speedway History

Historical points of interest in Dixie History

Dixie Speedway opened in 1948 as a 1/3-mile dirt oval. The track spent its opening decade plus as a dirt track before being paved in the early-1960s.

The track experienced consistent growth over the decades, under the ownership of the Doering and Scrivo families, with a Figure 8 course being built through the in-field pit area, moving that area to outside of the 1/3-mile oval.

The Kern family took ownership in 1996. A luxury VIP box was built at the top of the main grandstands, new bathrooms were installed, brand new stadium quality lights were installed to replace to outdated system previously there, a new tech barn was built in the pits and the most noticeable addition was the building of a progressively banked 4/10s mile oval.

At the conclusion of the 2008 season, the Kern family announced their intentions to retire as track operators, handing over the reins of the facility to Checkered Flag Promotions, promoted by Jeff Parish. Jeff and company promoted the track until the end of 2011 when their lease with the Kern Family concluded.

The Kerns promoted for a few more years and updated much of the Fairground style grandstands the track had used for the previous 5 decades.

In 2017 the track was purchased by Andy Suski and renamed the Birch Run Speedway & Event Center. Though the facility name has been changed the big ovals in the middle are still called the Dixie. Mr. Suski has made substantial improvements to the facility since its purchase, adding a stage for concerts and improving many of the existing office spaces, improving the pavilion area, improved lighting to the concourse area, closed circuit televisions throughout the concourse, and beginning in 2022 construction of "Gasoline Alley" which will be the longest bar in Michigan.

Mid-season 2021 the track experienced significant growth when General Manager Jason Lord and former promoter now Motorsport's director Jeff Parish came on board in June of that year. Fall of 2021 several new Special events were introduced for 2022. A Triple Crown Series of races with the Jeg's All-Star Tour and a new in-house series of elevated purse modified races called "Friday Night Thunder". Sprint cars will return in 2022 and a host of other traveling series.

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