RAPID CITY, S.D. — A Rapid City man’s racing team has won one of the most prestigious dirt-track races in the country, the 64th annual Knoxville Nationals in Iowa. Shane Liebig, owner of West River Trailer Sales in Rapid City, watched his 18-year-old driver, Ryan Timms, dominate the competition, leading all 50 laps of the main event from the pole position. Timms is the second youngest ever to win the Knoxville Nationals.
Liebig commented on the Knoxville Nationals “It’s the biggest race there is in the world, coming from here… it’s the one to win.” Ryan and Shane have been working together since October. “We had success right out of the box… pretty magical.”
The victory is a major highlight for Liebig’s team, which runs out of Rapid City. Timms, a rising star from Oklahoma City, piloted Liebig’s No. 10 car to a commanding win against a field of elite drivers, including three-time Nationals winner and NASCAR star Kyle Larson. With the win, Timms becomes the second-youngest Nationals winner in the event’s 64-year history. The only other driver with regular season ties to Knoxville to win the Nationals was South Dakota’s Doug Wolfgang in 1985.
Liebig, a former sprint car driver himself, has deep roots in the Black Hills racing community. He co-owned and promoted the Black Hills Speedway in Rapid City from 2010 to 2011, and he has a long history of mentoring talented drivers. His commitment to building a championship-caliber team paid off in spectacular fashion at the biggest stage in sprint car racing.
The team’s journey to the Nationals victory was a methodical one. After a promising start together in 2024, Liebig committed to a grueling 85-race schedule for the 2025 season. The plan focused on weekly races at Knoxville, Huset’s Speedway, and Jackson Motorplex to sharpen Timms’ skills. This consistent grind helped Timms secure his first 410 feature wins at Knoxville in 2025 and led to his dominant performance on his qualifying night for the Nationals, where he charged from eighth place to take the win.
Liebig and Timms are currently in Rapid City and will be at West River Trailer Sales on Cambell Street before heading to their next race in Jackson, Minnesota, on Saturday. The victory not only celebrates a young driver’s talent but also shines a spotlight on the dedication of a team owner from Rapid City and the strong racing tradition in the Black Hills and South Dakota.
While other teams have the benefit of larger funding and time; Shane said it best, “We’re the small working man’s team.”