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Walker Evans (racer)
Encyclopedia
Roger Walker Evans is an Off-road Motorsports Hall of Fame
r . He was also a driver and owner in the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series
. Walker Evans is nicknamed "the Legend". Walker is the father of off-road racer Evan Evans
. Walker resides in Riverside, California
.
events, including the premier event: the Baja 500
. His first sample of racing was in 1969, when he drove a Rambler American
for the American Motors
and actor James Garner
sponsored team to a third place finish in the Baja 500
. His first purpose built race truck was Ford F-100 donated by Marion Beaver at Parker Motor Company and built by Bill Stroppe. The truck won 16 of 17 races. He won the Baja 1000
five times in special built vehicles before he was the first driver to win the overall title in a Class 8 Trophy Truck
.
He added the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group
Stadium Series events to his schedule to enhance his horizons. The series featured indoor races inside a stadium.
He won his first SODA
race in 1986 at the Lake Geneva Raceway
in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
. He won the 1994 and 1995 Class-8 (two-wheel drive) championships in SODA. He became familiar with fellow competitor Brendan Gaughan
during his SODA days. He moved to CORR when most of the SODA drivers switched series. He finished with his SODA career with three overall victories and 31 class wins. He was champion of CORR's highest division, Pro-4, in 1999. He won three races and the CORR Pro-4 championship in 2000 in his final full-time season in CORR before retirement from short-track off-road racing.
Around 1999 he began entering rock crawling events after a promotional trip to Moab
.
He has 142 total victories and 21 championship titles in off-road desert and short course racing. He has multiple overall wins in the Baja 500
, Baja 1000
, Fireworks 250, Mint 400
, and Parker 400.
He was inducted in the Off-road Motorsports Hall of Fame
in 2004.
Craftsman Truck Series
in 1995. He had one Top 10 finish in 18 races, and he finished 14th in the final points standings. He had three Top 10 finishes in 23 events in 1996, and he finished 17th in the overall points standings.
and CORR competitor Brendan Gaughan
to race for him in 2002. Gaughan won twice, on his way to the Rookie of the Year title. In 2003, Gaughan was the CTS points leader going into the final race, but was crashed out.
Off-road Motorsports Hall of Fame
The Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame is located inside the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada.-History:In 1966, Ed Pearlman cofounded the first exclusively off-road racing organization, called the National Off-Road Racing Association...
r . He was also a driver and owner in the NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Craftsman Truck Series
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
. Walker Evans is nicknamed "the Legend". Walker is the father of off-road racer Evan Evans
Evan Evans (racer)
Evan Walker Evans is an American off-road racer. He raced in the Championship Off-Road Racing series. He has been the champion in the series despite racing using hand controls since he is a paraplegic...
. Walker resides in Riverside, California
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
.
Off-road career
He began his off-road career in cross-country events in SCORE InternationalSCORE International
SCORE International is an off-road sanctioning body in the sport of desert racing and is famous for its flagship event, the Baja 1000 as well as the Baja 500 and San Felipe 250. SCORE races are held in United States and Mexico...
events, including the premier event: the Baja 500
Baja 500
SCORE Baja 500 is an off-road race that takes place on Mexico's Baja California Peninsula in early June. The Baja 500 is part of a series of races that include the Baja 1000, San Felipe 250 and Primm 300. The event includes various types of vehicle classes such as small and large bore motorcycles,...
. His first sample of racing was in 1969, when he drove a Rambler American
Rambler American
The Rambler American is an automobile manufactured by the American Motors Corporation between 1958 and 1969. The American was the second incarnation of AMC's forerunner Nash Motors second-generation Rambler compact that was sold under the Nash and Hudson Motors marques from 1954 and 1955.The...
for the American Motors
American Motors
American Motors Corporation was an American automobile company formed by the 1954 merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company. At the time, it was the largest corporate merger in U.S. history.George W...
and actor James Garner
James Garner
James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...
sponsored team to a third place finish in the Baja 500
Baja 500
SCORE Baja 500 is an off-road race that takes place on Mexico's Baja California Peninsula in early June. The Baja 500 is part of a series of races that include the Baja 1000, San Felipe 250 and Primm 300. The event includes various types of vehicle classes such as small and large bore motorcycles,...
. His first purpose built race truck was Ford F-100 donated by Marion Beaver at Parker Motor Company and built by Bill Stroppe. The truck won 16 of 17 races. He won the Baja 1000
Baja 1000
SCORE Baja 1000 is an off-road race that takes place on Mexico's Baja California Peninsula in November. The Baja 1000 is part of the SCORE Championship Desert Racing Series that include the Baja 500, San Felipe 250 and the new San Felipe Challenge of Champions in place of the Primm 300 which had...
five times in special built vehicles before he was the first driver to win the overall title in a Class 8 Trophy Truck
Trophy Truck
Trophy Trucks are the fastest class of off-road racing vehicles designed and built to resemble modern pickup trucks. Although any truck that meets the safety standards can race the trophy truck class, they, for the most part, feature long travel suspensions and high power engines...
.
He added the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group
Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group
The Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group was a sanctioning body for an American off-road racing series that took place inside stadiums. Some events were televised, including on TNN and ESPN. -History:...
Stadium Series events to his schedule to enhance his horizons. The series featured indoor races inside a stadium.
He won his first SODA
SODA (series)
The Short-course Off-road Drivers Association was an off-road racing sanctioning body in the United States.-History:...
race in 1986 at the Lake Geneva Raceway
Lake Geneva Raceway
Lake Geneva Raceway was a motocross, demolition derby, off-road racing, stock car, and kart racing racetrack in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. It was billed as "Wisconsin's Busiest Racetrack." The track closed on December 31, 2006, as the site will eventually be developed into a subdivision...
in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Lake Geneva is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,148 at the 2000 census. A resort city located on Geneva Lake, it is southwest of Milwaukee and popular with tourists from metropolitan Chicago and Milwaukee.-History:...
. He won the 1994 and 1995 Class-8 (two-wheel drive) championships in SODA. He became familiar with fellow competitor Brendan Gaughan
Brendan Gaughan
Brendan Gaughan is an American stock car driver. Gaughan is the grandson of Vegas gaming pioneer Jackie Gaughan and son of Michael Gaughan, a hotel and casino magnate. Gaughan currently drives the #62 South Point Hotel & Casino Toyota Tundra for Germain Racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck...
during his SODA days. He moved to CORR when most of the SODA drivers switched series. He finished with his SODA career with three overall victories and 31 class wins. He was champion of CORR's highest division, Pro-4, in 1999. He won three races and the CORR Pro-4 championship in 2000 in his final full-time season in CORR before retirement from short-track off-road racing.
Around 1999 he began entering rock crawling events after a promotional trip to Moab
Moab
Moab is the historical name for a mountainous strip of land in Jordan. The land lies alongside much of the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. The existence of the Kingdom of Moab is attested to by numerous archeological findings, most notably the Mesha Stele, which describes the Moabite victory over...
.
He has 142 total victories and 21 championship titles in off-road desert and short course racing. He has multiple overall wins in the Baja 500
Baja 500
SCORE Baja 500 is an off-road race that takes place on Mexico's Baja California Peninsula in early June. The Baja 500 is part of a series of races that include the Baja 1000, San Felipe 250 and Primm 300. The event includes various types of vehicle classes such as small and large bore motorcycles,...
, Baja 1000
Baja 1000
SCORE Baja 1000 is an off-road race that takes place on Mexico's Baja California Peninsula in November. The Baja 1000 is part of the SCORE Championship Desert Racing Series that include the Baja 500, San Felipe 250 and the new San Felipe Challenge of Champions in place of the Primm 300 which had...
, Fireworks 250, Mint 400
Mint 400
The Mint 400 is an annual desert off road race that was resumed in 2008 after a 20 year hiatus.The race was for both motorcycles, until 1977, and four-wheel vehicles sponsored by Del Webb's Mint Hotel and Casino. Del Webb, a well known builder and friend of Howard Hughes, was owner of the Mint...
, and Parker 400.
He was inducted in the Off-road Motorsports Hall of Fame
Off-road Motorsports Hall of Fame
The Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame is located inside the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada.-History:In 1966, Ed Pearlman cofounded the first exclusively off-road racing organization, called the National Off-Road Racing Association...
in 2004.
NASCAR racing career
He decided to try his hand as a driver/owner in the newly formed NASCARNASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Craftsman Truck Series
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
in 1995. He had one Top 10 finish in 18 races, and he finished 14th in the final points standings. He had three Top 10 finishes in 23 events in 1996, and he finished 17th in the overall points standings.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series owner
He continued his Walker Evans Racing team after his retirement. He hired former SODASODA (series)
The Short-course Off-road Drivers Association was an off-road racing sanctioning body in the United States.-History:...
and CORR competitor Brendan Gaughan
Brendan Gaughan
Brendan Gaughan is an American stock car driver. Gaughan is the grandson of Vegas gaming pioneer Jackie Gaughan and son of Michael Gaughan, a hotel and casino magnate. Gaughan currently drives the #62 South Point Hotel & Casino Toyota Tundra for Germain Racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck...
to race for him in 2002. Gaughan won twice, on his way to the Rookie of the Year title. In 2003, Gaughan was the CTS points leader going into the final race, but was crashed out.