By George Cornwallis
PARKER, S.D. (March 17, 2025) – NHRA officials are thrilled to announce Thunder Valley Dragways has joined the NHRA Member Track Network as part of the NHRA’s West Central Division (Division 5).
First opened in 1967 as an NHRA Member Track, Thunder Valley Dragways, which is located between Marion and Parker, S.D., is returning to its original roots in 2025. The track was built and is still owned and operated by Glen Rapp, while Cherrie Engbrecht has been with the track more than 20 years and is the office and track manager.
The facility plays host to a jam-packed schedule from April through September each season, offering a variety of events catered to every type of racer and fan.
“Thunder Valley Dragways is excited to returns to its roots of NHRA and join the West Central Division,” Rapp said. “Our original sanction in 1967 was with NHRA and we’re thrilled to go back in that direction and be part of all the benefits and support the NHRA offers to its member tracks. We’re looking forward to a great 2025 racing season and working with all the amazing racers, teams and fans in the area.”
By joining the NHRA Member Track Network, Thunder Valley Dragways will be eligible to offer racers in the area a variety of NHRA-sanctioned racing opportunities in the future, including the NHRA Summit Racing Series, the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, NHRA Street Legal, NHRA Jr. Street and more. Additionally, the track will have the chance to host NHRA specialty events like the NHRA Summit King of the Track and more.
The track will also get access to NHRA’s extensive support programs, insurance benefits and national marketing platforms. Along with a great racing environment and a loaded event schedule, Thunder Valley Dragways is well-known in the area for its campground-like pit area setting, which includes more than 100 pit spaces with electricity.
“Thunder Valley Dragways is going to be a fantastic addition to the West Central family,” West Central Division Director Nick Duty said. “We are excited to bring their amazing facility and racers back into the NHRA Member Track network, and to work with Glen and Cherrie to continue building on their 58-year legacy of drag racing in South Dakota. We’re looking forward to hitting the ground running in 2025.”
For more information on NHRA, including the 2025 schedule, visit www.nhra.com.
About NHRA
NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With more than 100 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
COURTESY NHRA COMMUNICATIONS
