Richie Evans began racing in 1964 in the Hobby division at Utica Rome Speedway. In a career that lasted only 21 years he became known as the “King of Modified racing” winning nearly 500 feature races. He was nine time NASCAR National Modified champion, winning an unprecedented eight consecutive titles from 1978 to 1985. He won over thirty track championships, including two at Stafford, four at Thompson, and one at Riverside Park.
As an example of Evans dominance, he qualified for 84 features in 1980 and won 52 of them. His win list includes: Three Spring Sizzlers, two Thompson 300’s, three Stafford’s Modified Madness as well as wining the Race of Champions three times.
Richie won the Daytona International Speedway Modified race in 1979 and repeated the victory in 1980.
His non-racing honors include being elected National Modified Most Popular Driver nine times. In 1996 he was inducted into the International Motorsport Hall of Fame in Talladega in 1996.
Richie lost his life in a horrific accident while practicing for the season ending modified race at Martinsville in October 1985. |
