The call came from Walker Evans’ race shop. Walker and Randy’s dad, an electrician, were friends, and Randy had spent some time helping his dad at Walker’s shop on nights and weekends. Randy said yes to being the parts chaser for Walker Evans, and soon graduated to sweeping floors at the race shop.
“When I first met Randy Anderson, he was still in high school and he worked after school sweeping floors for Walker Evans,” wrote Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame (ORMHOF) inductee Dick Landfield before he passed away, “Randy was motivated, and his desire was not limited to getting a faster broom. Walker saw the raw material of a future superstar and he trained Randy to be a good mechanic, a fabricator, and a machinist.”
By the time he graduated from high school, Randy was in line to become Walker Evans’ crew chief. Together, Walker and Randy won 122 races and 16 championships. Many other successful drivers spent time behind the wheel at Walker Evans racing, including ORMHOF inductee Rob MacCachren. Walker Evans Racing teams won 178 races and 31 championships.
More than four decades later, Randy is still with Walker Evans, as president and managing partner in Walker Evans Racing products. Randy has designed, engineered, developed, and fabricated suspension components and shock absorbers, building Walker Evans Racing products into one of the largest manufacturers in the off-road industry.
“We come from a racing background,” Randy said, “It’s all I’ve ever known. It’s all performance enhanced; performance minded. We run our business like a race team.”
“Shocks and wheels developed and engineered with the Walker Evans Racing name are mounted to vehicles across the globe and competing and winning championships in more classes than Randy and Walker could have ever imagined when they first got their start,” said Joey DiGiovanni, Director of Marketing for 4 Wheel Parts, “All of those products have Randy Anderson’s DNA built into them at one level or another.”
ORMHOF inductee Cal Wells noted, “What makes Walker Evans Racing products a leader in the world of suspension development revolves around Randy’s relentless commitment to be the very best whether he’s competing in the wilds of Baja or the off-road products business.” Wells continued, “Throughout this all-consuming career, Randy still finds time to be a strong family man, a mentor to young athletes trying to make a name for themselves in the sport of off-road, and an example of what all of us aspire to be, a true Champion.”
“When the top Polaris off-road racers, like Red Bull Athletes and championship drivers Mitch Guthrie Jr and Seth Qunitero needed new shocks developed for the yet to be released new model of the RZR, they called Randy Anderson,” said Joey DiGiovanni.
Randy’s sons, RJ and Ronnie, have continued the Anderson off-road racing legacy of success, combining for hundreds of podiums and multiple championships.
We think Joey DiGiovanni summed up Randy Anderson’s nomination to the Hall of Fame best when he wrote, “Nothing to me is more honorable than the man who is responsible for so many amazing achievements remaining behind the scenes, humbly content in everyone else being recognized without ever seeking his own recognition. Randy Anderson lives a life summarized by ‘when you win, I win’.”
