3/22/2022
Redwood Acres Raceway
Jim Walker To Be Inducted In West Coast Stock Car Racing Hall Of Fame’s 2022 Class
Northern California racing legend Jim Walker will receive the honor of being inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame. The beloved Ferndale, California driver is part of the Hall’s 2022 Heritage class and will be among 11 other honorees who will be celebrated at Sonoma Raceway’s new VIP/Hospitality Complex in Sonoma, California on Thursday, June 9.
It will be the second year in a row that Walker will be a Hall of Fame inductee. In 2021, Walker was among the inaugural class for Redwood Acres Raceway’s Hall of Fame. His induction into the West Coast Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame will be the ultimate capstone to his career.
Walker first began racing locally in the late 1960s at Redwood Acres Raceway and was a three-time super stock champion on the dirt between 1970-1972. Later in the decade, Walker moved his focus to racing at big money events at tracks up and down the west coast. He was able to make a seamless transition from dirt to asphalt and won the Permatex 300 his highest profile victory at Riverside International Raceway in January 1976 in what is now NASCAR’s Xfinity Series.
The 70s and 80s saw the boom of open competition late model racing with the top drivers of the west coast and beyond regularly showing up and Walker was a contender to win in every event he started. He was the winner of the 1977 Rose Classic at All American Speedway and a two-time winner at Shasta Speedway in the NorCal 150 and Western 150. Walker also won the 1977 NASCAR Winston West Old Milwaukee 100 at Shasta. In 1984, Walker took home five wins in the nine-race All Pro West Series.
In the late 80s, Walker shifted his focus back to racing locally and took back-to-back championships on the new pavement at Redwood Acres Raceway in 1988 and 1989. Walker maintained his excellence through the 90s and 00s as a regular winner and front runner in numerous late model touring and open competition races in the region.
Throughout his career, Walker maintained a fan base that is virtually unmatched in short track racing. Walker was a fan-favorite everywhere he went with his blue and silver number 48 car. Fans didn’t just love him because he was fast and won a lot, they respected him for his clean driving behind the wheel and his humility and humbleness outside of the car. Walker’s competitors felt the same way and many drivers have noted that they felt fortunate just to be on the track with him throughout the years.
Walker will be inducted with a very strong class for the Hall of Fame this year. Other Heritage inductees are Art Atkinson, Phil Casey, Ron Esau, Phil Hill and Ken Sapper. They will join Greg Biffle, Garrett Evans, Brendan Gaughan, David Gilliland, John Moore and Jimmy Sills as the official class of 2022. MAVTV will broadcast highlights of the induction ceremonies later during the summer.
Submitted By: Matthew Sullivan
