Off-road legend Walker Evans joins West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame

  • John Kenney

PHOENIX (June 1, 2017) – Roger Walker Evans, born Dec. 3, 1938 in Cedar Lake, Mich., started Walker Evans Racing in 1977 to field his own off-road racing team after driving for West Coast Stock Car Hall of Famers Bill Stroppe and Parnelli Jones.

The Riverside, Calif. resident’s first sample of desert racing came in 1969 when he drove an American Motors Rambler for actor James Garner’s SCORE team in the Baja 500, resulting in a third-place finish.

Evans, nicknamed “The Legend,” won the Baja 1000 nine times in specially built trucks. He was the first to win the grueling race overall in a truck. His 142 victories and 21 championships have come in a variety of disciplines – desert racing, Mickey Thompson stadium series and short course races.

Evans competed in a manufacturer-supported Dodge Ram for two seasons (1995-96) in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series where he posted three top-10 finishes as owner/driver. Evans is a member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame and Riverside (Calif.) Sports Hall of Fame.

“Simply one of the best off-road racing drivers ever, Walker Evans would always captivate and dazzle the fans whenever he powered his desert truck to the start line,” said the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame upon Evans’ induction in 2004. “Throughout his 35-year career, he has been applauded for his exhilarating racing skills and his informal, gentlemanly manner.”

Evans joins Michael Gaughan, Joe Leonard, Gene Price, Scott Pruett, Frank Secrist and Kenneth Takeuchi in the 2017 WCSCHOF class of inductees.

The 2017 Induction Ceremony, presented by Gateway Motorsports Park, are open to the public on a limited, space-available basis. Reservation information is available by emailing the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame at jwentzel@phoenixraceway.com.

About the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame:

The West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame was conceived in 2001 as a means of recognizing significant contributors and contributions to the sport of stock car racing. The mission of the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame is founded to preserve history and heritage of the important role west coast stock car competitors have played in the sport’s development and continuation and to recognize, through annual enshrinement, of outstanding individuals and groups within the sport such as, but not limited to, designers, engineers, mechanics, drivers, race track owners, promoters, publicists, and members of the motorsports media.

About Gateway Motorsports Park

Gateway Motorsports Park is the home of INDYCAR, NASCAR and NHRA racing in the St. Louis region. Located just five minutes from downtown St. Louis and covering more than 340 acres, Gateway Motorsports Park is the largest outdoor entertainment facility in the area. Gateway Motorsports Park’s facilities include a 1/4-mile drag strip, 1.25-mile superspeedway, 1.6-mile road course, a state-of-the-art Karting facility and a 14-acre, multi-purpose dirt off-road venue.

Contact:

West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame

Owen A. Kearns

661-342-2983

okearns@bak.rr.com