RAPID CITY, S.D.- The Rapid City Rush, the ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, will host sprint car champions Ryan Timms and Shane Liebig, of Rapid City-based Liebig Motorsports, for a ceremonial puck drop ahead of the team’s home opener on Friday.
The driver and owner combination made national headlines in August by capturing the title at the 2025 Knoxville Nationals, considered ‘The Granddaddy of Them All’ in sprint car racing, held in Knoxville, Iowa. Timms, who was 18 years old at the time of the victory, is the second-youngest driver ever to win the event in its 64-year history. Timms, who turned 19 in late August, piloted the team’s No. 10 sprint car to a wire-to-wire victory, leading all 50 laps of the main event from the pole position.
Liebig, the owner of Liebig Motorsports, is a Rapid City native and former sprint car driver with deep roots in the Black Hills racing community. He co-owned and promoted the Black Hills Speedway in Rapid City from 2010 to 2011. The team runs its operations out of Rapid City. Timms began driving for the team in October 2024, and secured his first 410 feature wins at Knoxville earlier this year before his dominant Nationals performance.
The victory not only celebrates the talent of the young driver but also shines a spotlight on the dedication of a team owner from Rapid City and the strong racing tradition in South Dakota. The two will be in attendance to drop the puck at the Rush’s home opener on Friday, October 24 against the Wichita Thunder. Puck drop is at 7:05 p.m. from The Monument Ice Arena.
The 2025 Rapid City Rush Opening Night, presented by Denny Menholt, at The Monument Ice Arena is Friday, October 24. For a full list of themed nights, check out the 2025-26 promotional schedule. Tickets can be secured by calling the Rush office at 605-716-7825 or visiting www.rapidcityrush.com.