The park was designed and built by local racing businessman Pat Goodman in 1969-1970, opening in October 1969. The first events held were SCCA regional races in the autumn of 1969. The first professional event was an IMSA International Sedans race held on Memorial Day, 30 May 1970, which was later to become the Radial Tire Series, alongside IMSA Pro Formula Ford. Rasey Feezell won in an Alfa Romeo four-door sedan, taking home two hundred dollars in prize money.
During its early years, SCCA held numerous regional and national events at the circuit, and many drivers received their first track experience at SCCA Drivers' Schools run by the Washington DC Region. Among the notable early participants was actor Paul Newman, who ran several of his early racing events at Summit Point in a Bob Sharp-prepared Datsun 510 sedan. Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward kept a low profile at the circuit, with Newman's only visible identifier being the "PLN" plate on his car's front bumper.
Through the late 1970s and 1980s, Summit Point hosted professional races sanctioned by IMSA and the SCCA Trans-Am Series. In the early 1980s, the track was sold to Bill Scott and his partner Tom Milner. Scott was the 1970 Formula Vee World Champion. Alongside racing, the facility began developing its profile as a driver training ground for federal agencies and security organisations, a role that has continued to the present.
The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association returned to Summit Point in 2023 after an absence of two decades.
The original circuit, Summit Point Main, is a 10-turn, 2.000 mi (3.219 km) road course with a 2,900 ft main straight, opening in 1970. The original layout did not include the Carousel (Turns 6 and 7 in the current configuration); the present sweeping section was added sometime after mid-1973. The main circuit no longer hosts professional automobile racing but continues to serve club racing for WKC, WKA, SCCA, BMW CCA, and NASA, as well as motorcycle racing through CCS and WERA. Annual highlight events on the Main Circuit include the Jefferson 500 vintage race and the 12 Hours at the Point endurance race. The circuit was repaved in autumn 2017.
The Jefferson Circuit is a nine-turn, 1.100 mi (1.770 km) layout designed and built by Bill Scott specifically for high-performance driver training, accident avoidance, and emergency operation instruction. It opened in 1996 and is used primarily for driver training schools and motorcycle track days.
The Shenandoah Circuit is a 22-turn, 2.200 mi (3.541 km) road course that opened in 2004 and is widely regarded as one of the most technically demanding circuits built in that era in the United States. The Shenandoah includes a small-scale replica of the famous banked Karussell corner from the Nurburgring Nordschleife. Minor layout adjustments were made in late 2004 and early 2005 following initial racing and school use. The circuit is used for high-performance driver education, road races, and motorcycle events.
The Washington Circuit is the newest addition to Summit Point, opening in 2009. It is most commonly configured as the Washington Long Course, a 0.520 mi (0.837 km), 11-turn layout featuring a sweeping 160-degree decreasing-radius corner and three straights. Multiple configurations are available depending on the event type and conditions.
Summit Point's combination of racing heritage and institutional training use makes it unusual among American road courses. Its early association with amateur and club racing in the Mid-Atlantic region, its professional IMSA and Trans-Am history, and Paul Newman's early racing appearances there give the Main Circuit an outsized role in the story of American grassroots motorsport, while the Jefferson and Shenandoah circuits have established the complex as a respected venue for advanced driver instruction.