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Thunder Valley History

Amid great fanfare, Somerset County, Pennsylvania’s Thunder Valley opened in the spring of 1997. With the opening of the new speedway, owners Willie and Deanna Will succeeded in their goal of bringing a first class racing facility to the region. The speedway immediately received a tremendous amount of support from fans, drivers, and sponsors; Thunder Valley became one of the regions premier dirt tracks.  

From the initial idea of building a "practice track" on a parcel of rural land owned by the Wills to the fulfillment of their vision of building a first class racing facility, the inaugural season in 1997 was nothing short of spectacular. Nearly every Saturday fans were greeted with beautiful weather to go along with the exciting action on the track                                 

First season champions included Late Model standout Scott Haus, Eric Zembower in the Semi- Lates with Eric Corella and Jeremy Fama claiming the Street and Hobby Stock Championships.

Thunder Valley continued to prosper into the new century, hosting a wide variety of racing events. At the end of the 2004 season the Wills decided to close the speedway, citing heath and family concerns. The speedway sat idle through 2005, and its future appeared uncertain.

            In January 2006, former Bedford Speedway Promoter Joe Padula announced that he would be reopening the facility, after reaching an agreement to lease it from the Will family.

            The first season of the Joe Padula era brought excitement back to the Central City speedway. Highlights included local star Scott Rhodes notching his 100^th career victory in June, and the first “Thunder 4-20’s” event in August. Champions of the reopened speedway included Rhodes, Shawn McGarvey, Matt Hayman, Tom Warren and Chris Booher.