DAKOTAMOTORSPORTS

Wally Parks was born in 1913 and died in 2007. He was instrumental in the development of drag racing as a professional sport. He founded the National Hot Rod Assocition and also served as president and as chairman of the board. Along with founding the NHRA, Parks was behind the creation of Hot Rod magazine and Motor Trend Magazine. Parks was always preaching the importance of safety. He organized “Safety Safaris” where you would tour the country teaching drag racing organizations how to race a safe manner.

Parks had a big part in promoting drag racing outside of the United States. He led efforts to get organized tours in Europe and Australia during the 1960s. Parks was inducted in 1993 to the Motorsports Hall of Fame and the year before he was inducted to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

Parks was fighting pneumonia when he died in 2007. Prior to Parks death, he was serving as chairperson at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. He was 94 years old.

His death left a hole in NHRA that will be impossible to fill. Today, winners of NHRA events are awarded the “Wally” statue. This trophy iis a statue of a man next to a tire.