Minnesota Motorhead

The secret is out: if you’re a Minnesota Street Rod Association (MSRA) member, Brainerd International Raceway (BIR) is the place to be in mid-August.

Not for the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Nationals (though that’s a must-see for race fans), but an annual MSRA event called the Super Secret Fun Run.

About 2,000 people were there this year from Aug. 15-17 for a weekend of drag racing, food and friends. More than 150 cars – the only requirement was that they be pre-1979 to keep a nostalgic race vibe – went through tech inspection and many more were parked around the BIR facility.

It all started three years ago, when BIR approached the MSRA about hosting an event at the track.

“They shot us a darn good price and we rented the entire facility and the rest is history,” said MSRA board member Gordy Schwarz, who was one of the original organizers of the event.

Schwarz said the idea was to make it an appreciation weekend for the MSRA members who volunteer at the organization’s annual Back to the ’50s show. So it was set up as a free event with no real schedule to speak of. It was meant to be a do-what-you-want, run-what-ya-brung weekend.

But it needed a name.

“We were looking for a name and it was a secret the first year,” Schwarz said. “Me and (current MSRA president) Jim Harvey were on the phone one day and he says we gotta come up with a name and off the top of my head I said ‘Super Secret Fun Run.’ He started laughing and said that’d be great and I said, ‘you’re not serious,’ and it’s been that way ever since.”

The event, which drew about 30 cars in 2006, has grown quickly during the past three years and it’s helped spark interest in the MSRA.

“I just got my membership,” said Dennis Orr, of Superior, Wisc., who ran low nines in the quarter mile with his 555ci early ’70s Camaro at this year’s Super Secret Fun Run. “My buddies were coming down to this so I sent in my paperwork last week.”

Some MSRA members, such as six-year member John Fox, of Roseville, Minn., have participated in the event each year. Fox’s primered ’59 Corvette ran mid-14s in the quarter.

“It’s just too good of a deal,” Fox said about the Super Secret Fun Run. “There’s good food and they treat you right.”

In true Minnesota fashion, a potluck dinner was provided Saturday night, with each participant contributing a dish.

Schwarz said at the end of the day, the camaraderie is what it’s about. Just as it is at all MSRA events.

“A friend of mine coined the phrase “friends, food, fun and fellowship,” he said. “The cars don’t mean anything. They’re catalysts, they’re what gets us together. They’re just cars. It’s the people.”

Check out the multimedia page for video from the Super Secret Fun Run.

August 19th, 2008 | Articles, Event Articles