Motorsports Hall of Famer Walker Evans,1938-2025
One of off-road racing’s truly untouchable legends, Walker Evans, passed away Saturday at the age of 86.
Evans, an inductee into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame, the SEMA Hall of Fame and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, struggled with health issues in recent years. Born in Cedar Lake, Michigan in 1938, Evans is survived by wife Phyllis and son Evan.
Evans was one of off-road racing’s first superstars, following in the footprints of longtime friend and competitor Parnelli Jones. His first taste of desert racing came at the 1969 NORRA Baja 500 driving an American Motors Rambler for actor James Garner’s All-American Racing team. The indelible experience sparked a lifelong passion for the sport, and soon he started racing his own Ford F-100 built in the legendary Long Beach, California shop of Bill Stroppe.
Evans was one of off-road racing’s first superstars, following in the footprints of longtime friend and competitor Parnelli Jones. His first taste of desert racing came at the 1969 NORRA Baja 500 driving an American Motors Rambler for actor James Garner’s All-American Racing team. The indelible experience sparked a lifelong passion for the sport, and soon he started racing his own Ford F-100 built in the legendary Long Beach, California shop of Bill Stroppe.
Eventually Walker Evans Racing was tapped by Dodge and Goodyear to form a formidable factory desert and short-course effort. His sparkling career earned him a total of 142 victories and 21 championship titles – including five Baja 1000 wins.
As much as Evans enjoyed racing in his beloved Baja peninsula, he also thrived in the more physical world of short-course off-road competition. His short-course journey blossomed in his adopted hometown of Riverside, California after SCORE International’s Mickey Thompson and Sal Fish brought off-road racing to the masses at nearby Riverside raceway. Evans was also the first major west coast racer to compete in an American Midwest short-course scene that included Crandon International Raceway. His rivalry with local Crandon champion Jack Flannery become legendary and was captured by live national coverage on ESPN.
As much as Evans enjoyed racing in his beloved Baja peninsula, he also thrived in the more physical world of short-course off-road competition. His short-course journey blossomed in his adopted hometown of Riverside, California after SCORE International’s Mickey Thompson and Sal Fish brought off-road racing to the masses at nearby Riverside raceway. Evans was also the first major west coast racer to compete in an American Midwest short-course scene that included Crandon International Raceway. His rivalry with local Crandon champion Jack Flannery become legendary and was captured by live national coverage on ESPN.
In 1995 Evans was among a group of off-road racing team owners who created the foundation of NASCAR’s truck racing series. He completed in 41 NASCAR races, with four top-10 finishes to his credit, but Evans pivoted back to his off-road roots in 1999, competing in large rock crawling competitions. Along with Jones, in 2010 he returned to the Baja peninsula with his restored Class 8 Dodge as part of the rebirthed NORRA Mexican 1000 rally. Thanks to NORRA, Evans enjoyed another decade competing – and often winning – the annual trans-peninsula rally.
Evans and his wife were also highly successful as entrepreneurs. Together with longtime crew chief Randy Anderson, the trio founded Walker Evans Racing to bring wheels and shock absorbers into the off-road market. The company eventually manufactured shocks as a valued OEM UTV and snowmobile supplier to Polaris and others. Polaris eventually purchased Walker Evans Racing in 2023.
In the dirty and tough world of off-road racing, “The Legend” made wearing a white cowboy hat his trademark. He never got near a horse or ranch, but the storied icon of the sport had the grit and determination to make it part of his authentic persona. He was the last of a breed, and sadly one of the only remaining pioneers to the off-road motorsports legacy.
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