Previously known as the King Cobra Rod & Custom Club, Hidden Valley Drag Racing Association was formed in 1969 with the objective of promoting Hot Rodding and Drag Racing in the Top End. Drag Racing initially commenced at the Hughes Landing Field (abandoned WWII bomber strip) south of Darwin, but quickly found a home at the abandoned Livingston airstrip beside the Stuart Highway, 54 km out of town. Even with the isolation and trying conditions at Livingston, crowds regularly exceeded 1000 and up to 60 competitors raced. By 1983 the 40 year old strip had seen better days. The first stage of the Hidden Valley drag strip was completed in 1984 and the first race meeting was held at the new track on 9 June 1985.

In October 2006 the club agreed to change its name to something that was more suited to the sport of Drag Racing and by November 2006 the name had been legally changed to the Hidden Valley Drag Racing Association (HVDRA). The change of name heralded a new era for the club and Drag Racing in the NT.

In July 2010, construction on an international class upgrade to Hidden Valley commenced. After over 2 years of planning, the Hidden Valley Drag Strip was upgraded to include a brand new racing surface, concrete safety walls, improved spectators mounds and state of the art Compulink timing system and 60" green LED display boards (the first of their kind in Australia).