Walker Evans, one of the greatest off-road racers of all time whose legend stretches from short courses to deserts and even NASCAR, has passed away. He was 86 years old.

Born on December 3, 1938, Evans’ career took off in 1969 when he finished third overall at the inaugural Baja 500 in an AMC Rambler for John Crain and actor James Garner’s team. Bill Stroppe eventually built him a Ford F-100 before recruiting him to his team since Stroppe had grown tired of Evans beating him so often.

With the F-100, Evans continued to hit new highs by winning 16 of 17 races including class victories at the Baja 500 and Baja 1000. The Ford was eventually sold to Garner, who raced it until his retirement before it was given back to Evans as a 50th birthday gift.

In 1975, former Stroppe teammate Parnelli Jones created his own team and recruited Evans to drive the Chevrolet Blazer in Class 8. Evans spearheaded the charge with 11 victories in 15 starts. Even after their Chevrolet factory partnership ended, Evans and Jones remained close friends.

“I knew him for all my life,” wrote Jones’ son PJ, who’s also followed in his dad’s footsteps and become a desert racing ace. “He was a big influence in my Racing and business. He went on all my rides and was so gracious to everyone ! I will miss you @walkerevans20 ! RIP .. i’m sure you and my dad are planning your next trip up in heaven!”

After going his own way, Evans got into building off-road vehicles himself. One of his first projects was a fleet of Jeep CJ-7s for the 1978 Jeep Celebrity Challenge at the SCORE Silverbird Race of Champions, which was won by actor James Brolin ahead of Dick Smothers. Eventually, Chrysler came knocking on Walker Evans Racing’s door, a partnership that quickly proved fruitful: in 1979, Evans became the first driver to win the Baja 1000 overall in a truck when he with his Dodge D-50.

Evans eventually got into the burgeoning world of short course racing during the 1980s and ’90s, competing in the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group and SODA. He won the former’s Grand National Truck title in 1991 followed by the latter’s Class 8 crowns in 1994 and 1995. After SODA’s demise, Evans switched to Championship Off-Road Racing and won the 1999 Pro 4 title. His desert racing continued during this stretch too with success in events like the Mint 400 and Parker 400.

During this stretch, his rivalry with Ivan “Ironman” Stewart became one of legend as the two duked it out in short course and the desert. Both of their trucks were among the most iconic in the sport, Evans rocking his trademark blue-and-white base with red-orange-yellow stripes taking on Stewart’s white-and-ROY-patterned Toyotas.

In 1994, Evans was among a handful of off-road racers who decided to try their hand at the new NASCAR Truck Series, created by their fellow desert colleagues as factory support in their discipline started to decline. After dabbling in the preseason Winter Heat, Evans ran much of the inaugural season in 1995 and finished 14th in points; this was followed by a 17th in the 1995 standings. He notched four top tens in his two-year NASCAR Truck driving career with a best finish of ninth at Mesa Marin in 1995.

Although Evans shifted his focus back to off-road for driving, he continued to field his Truck Series program. Johnny Chapman and Lance Norick debuted in Trucks with Walker Evans Racing, while former Cup Series driver Butch Miller scored the team’s best points finish of 11th in his lone full-time slate for them in 1997 including a second in the season opener at Disney World. Most notably, however, Evans gave fellow off-road driver Brendan Gaughan—whose family-owned South Point Hotel was a longtime sponsor of Evans—his start in stock cars.

Evans ended his career with 142 wins and 21 championships in off-road racing, including desert and short course. After his retirement, Walker Evans Racing continued on as one of the most prominent off-road parts producers. After being sold to Polaris in 2023, the company builds shocks for the RZR. His son Evan would also compete in off-road racing.

He was inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2004.

Featured image credit: Walker Evans Racing