Walker Evans, “The Legend,” passed away on August 2, 2025, at the age of 86. He was born on December 3, 1938, in Cedar Lake, Michigan. His large, gifted hands seemed to be made for building things. It was no surprise to anyone that he became a building contractor.
In 1969, he was picked as a driver for actor James Garner’s American International Racers team, which fielded a fleet of AMC Ramblers in the inaugural Baja 500. Evans finished a respectable fifth in the sedan class. Somewhere in the wilds of Baja California, he was bitten by the racing bug.
Walker financed a Ford F-100 to build into a racer with the help of Bill Stroppe. To make the first couple of payments on the pickup, Walker stripped everything out of the truck and sold the parts back to the dealer’s parts manager.
