NASCAR loses ‘The Legend’ as driver, team owner and pioneer dies

NASCAR has lost the man they called ‘The Legend’ with the passing of the great Walker Evans at the age of 86.

Evans, an incredible off-road racer and one of the pioneers who started the NASCAR Truck Series, died on Saturday after an amazing life on track and off it.

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Born on December 3, 1938 in Cedar Lake, Michigan, Evans racked up 21 titles in off-road desert and short-course racing.

He would become central to the NASCAR story in 1995 when he became a driver and owner in the newly-formed Truck Series. He raced 41 times over two seasons, claiming four top-10 finishes.

Evans was inducted into the Off-road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2015.

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Greats pay tribute to Walker Evans

The tributes to ‘The Legend’ have poured in thick and fast since his passing, with Fox lead announcer Mike Joy providing the perfect memory of a great racer:

“Sad news. Reading Walker Evans has passed…one of the greatest off-road racers, and a founder of NASCAR’s Truck Series.

“One day he was sorting out handling at a short track and I asked him about it: ‘If they’d just put a jump in the backstretch, I believe I’d be fine’.

“RIP, racer.”

Former NASCAR star and now analyst Clint Bowyer added: “Sad day! Walker Evans was not only a hero of mine but became one of my favorite people to meet up with every Aug in Sturgis. So many laughs and good times! Won’t be the same without him. Rest easy my friend.”

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