MILAN, Mich. — The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) has officially added another fantastic facility to its portfolio with the purchase of Milan Dragway.
The quarter-mile Michigan track, located 40 miles west of Detroit and 25 miles south of Ann Arbor, opened in 1964. Milan Dragway has hosted IHRA national events like the Motor City Nationals and Northern Nationals as well as IHRA Pro-Am events.
Kurt Johnson’s TVC, the industry leader in track preparation, is currently working at the facility making major improvements to the track surface and pit areas. It means changes to the 2025 schedule that will be updated on the track’s social media pages.
While there is short-term inconvenience, the goal is to make Milan Dragway one of the premier drag strips in the world. Johnny Quick, the famed grudge racer from Street Outlaws and a 28-year veteran of racing at Milan Dragway, has been named the track manager.
“(IHRA owner) Darryl Cuttell is making major investments in the track,” Quick said. “His goal is to make it one of the premier race tracks in the world. That’s why Kurt Johnson and TVC are out there making sure the track surface is the best it can be.”
These improvements are made with the racers and fans are in mind. Beyond the track surface and pits, plans are for grandstands, restrooms, concessions and other areas to be updated for a world-class facility.
With its long history, the list of previous winners read like a who’s who of drag racing. “Big Daddy” Don Garlits won three straight IHRA Northern Nationals Top Fuel races from 1977-79. Other Top Fuel winners include Connie Kalitta and six-time IHRA World Champion Clay Millican.
The list of other winners in other classes is just as impressive with “The King of Speed” Kenny Bernstein, Raymond Beadle and Ed “Ace” McCulloch in Funny Car, Warren “The Professor” Johnson, Bob Glidden and Rickie Smith in Pro Stock.
More recently, the track has hosted many great No Prep and Heads-Up events. Milan Dragway is home to one of the largest heads-up classes in the country. But, it is also a multi-purpose facility frequently hosting swap meets, car shows and rock concerts. Both Car and Driver and Automobile magazine have used Milan Dragway to conduct car tests.
Quick has called Milan Dragway his home track for over 20 years. He sees an incredibly bright future for the historic drag strip.
“Even if I wasn’t the track manager, I would be excited about the improvements taking place,” Quick said. “You want your home track to be the best, and I think that Milan Dragway is going to be one of the best tracks around. With Darryl and Kurt, we will have one of the best surfaces in the country to race at.”
Stay in touch with the latest happenings and schedule updates for Milan Dragway with the track’s social media pages. Keep checking out IHRA.com and the IHRA’s social media pages for more exciting news coming soon.