Tyler Walker gets shot with Evernham

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as reported on speedvision.com.


Tyler Walker Gets Silver Crown Shot With Evernham

Tyler Walker will run a Silver Crown effort for Evernham Motorsports in 2001. (Photo: speedvision.com staff)

Statesville, N.C., Jan. 12 — What could have been a lost year for Tyler Walker, after having his NASCAR Busch ride yanked out from under him before it ever started, turned out to be a prelude to a new start for the 21-year-old open-wheel star.

Walker, who was signed to drive a Busch car for Tyler Jet Motorsports last year before the program was abruptly halted, spent much of last year racing anything he could get his hands on, including some impressive drives in the World of Outlaws Series.

During the UAW-GM Media Tour hosted by Lowe’s Motor Speedway Friday, Walker was announced to have signed a deal with Evernham Motorsports to run a full season in the USAC Silver Crown Series. Walker will run the lone Mopar engine in the Silver Crown ranks and will partner with long-time sprint-car ace Johnny Vance in the effort.

"We weren’t prepared to do a Busch team yet but we liked Tyler, he’s a good kid with a lot of talent," said team owner Ray Evernham. "Silver Crown is a good series and we think he will learn a lot there. We hope to get him some time in the Trucks or in Busch this year as well."

Walker, a fourth generation open-wheel driver, was considering returning to his roots in the sprint-car game before asking for and getting a meeting with Evernham late in the 2000 season. That meeting led to more get-togethers, and eventually a chance to join the fledgling operation.

"I just walked up to (Evernham) at the race track and asked if there was anything I could do for him from testing or shaking down cars to sweeping the floor," Walker said. "He said he wanted to run Silver Crown and we put it together.

"I still have to pinch myself at times when I think of what we’re putting together here," he continued. "When Ray walks up and slaps me on the shoulder and asks how I’m doing, I sometimes think ‘Wow, this is Ray Evernham talking to me.’"

Walker made his name in the high-powered World of Outlaws cars, finishing second in the 1998 rookie points after winning the prestigious Sharon Nationals in 1997. He ran under the Ratbag Games sponsorship in a handful of events last year, dominating the early going in the first WoO race at Bristol before a dropped cylinder caused him to falter. He has never run a USAC Silver Crown car but is looking forward to the challenge of the new mount.

"The sprint cars I ran never raced on asphalt and the Silver Crown cars all do so that will be good for me," Walker said. "The weight seems to be more similar to the Busch cars and the races are longer so I will have to concentrate on things like saving the tires that I never had to worry about before.

Not that Walker’s dirt career is over. He hopes to run in some Outlaws and All-Star dirt events in 2001 when the 14-race Silver Crown series allows. But he knows he is in training for a future Busch and perhaps NASCAR Winston Cup ride, and intends to do as much as he can to make that happen.

"Ray said I could run some other things as long as it’s good for me but I know that there’s a lot for me to learn about the stock cars and I’m excited about getting that chance," Walker said. "I’ll be going to the track and listening to what happens on the radio and just seeing how everything works. There’s nothing else I could ever ask for."

And despite having the rampant enthusiasm of a 21-year-old, Walker actually seems grateful for a chance to spend a year learning and progressing for a change.

"I’ve always been kind of thrown to the wolves in my racing career so this will be different," Walker said. "I started racing karts and we went right to the regional level and started winning. I never ran dirt and the first time I did, it was in the 410 sprinters with about 800 horsepower. I’ve always been quick to adapt to anything, but this year will give me a good chance to adjust to the cars a