The speedway occupies space within the Jackson County Sports Park complex, which also contains a shooting range, a dragstrip, and a go-kart track. The clay oval runs on a weekly schedule from April through October each year, weather permitting. The track was built by John Skinner, whose father Lon Skinner gave his name to the speedway's most celebrated annual race.
Southern Oregon Speedway opened in April 1996, following the closure of the historic Medford Speedway at the Jackson County Posse Grounds in 1989. The seven-year gap left the region without a permanent dirt oval, and the new facility was established expressly to continue grassroots dirt racing in the Medford area. The opening season featured Dirt Modifieds, Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks, and Winged Sprint Cars. Late Models, SODCA Dwarf Cars, and visiting touring groups supplemented the regular programme.
In the early 2020s the track ran into operational difficulties. In 2021 it went inactive due to lease complications and remained dormant and partially abandoned for several years before new management revived it in 2024, returning the venue to a full weekly schedule.
The IMCA Modified division has generated the speedway's most enduring rivalries. Mark Wauge stands as the most successful driver in that class, winning six of the first 20 IMCA Modified championships at Southern Oregon. Tom Glover opened the track with a championship in 1996 and won again in 1998. Other multi-time IMCA Modified champions include Brian Poppa, Albert Gill, and Travis Peery.
In the Pro Stock class, Frank Word III won eight championships within a nine-year span, a record no other driver at the track has approached. Jimmy Walker Jr. and Brian Poppa also figure among the notable Pro Stock title winners.
The Lon Skinner Memorial Race for Modifieds, established in 1996 to honour the track founder's father, became one of the most prestigious Modified events on the West Coast. Offering $5,000 to win in its later years, it drew competitors from throughout Oregon, California, and Washington. Bobby Hogge IV won the race four times, including three consecutive victories, the only driver to achieve that feat. Brian Poppa holds the top record among local drivers with three wins.
The track has hosted visits from the World of Outlaws and races during Northwest Speedweek throughout its history. Since 2022 Southern Oregon Speedway has opened the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series' annual multi-day sprint car festival, originally billed as the "Fastest Four Days in Motorsports" and expanded to five consecutive days by 2025. The speedway hosts the first round of the sequence each year.
The weekly programme includes IMCA Modifieds, IMCA SportMods, Outlaw Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks, Super 4, and SODCA Dwarf Cars as regular divisions. Sprint Cars in the 360 cubic inch and Late Model classes appear on select dates throughout the season.