Steve Evans (January 13, 1942 – November 1, 2000) was an American
motorsports
Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...
broadcaster with a career that spanned four decades.
Early life and Career
Evans started announcing drag races at age 19 at the fabled
San Gabriel and
Fontana
Fontana may refer to:
Places
Italy
*Fontana Liri, comune in the Province of Frosinone
*Fontanafredda, comune in the Province of Pordenone
*Fontanarosa, comune in the Province of Avellino
*Francavilla Fontana, comune in the Province of Brindisi
* ...
tracks in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
and later managed all three of Southern California's famed tracks, which included Lions Dragstrip, Orange County Int'l Raceway, and Irwindale Raceway. He began announcing national events in 1966 and a year later he went to work full time as editor of National DRAGSTER, and later as public relations director for
NHRA
The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorspo ...
. Evans worked on NHRA's syndicated TV shows for more than two decades and covered NHRA drag racing on
TNN,
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
, and
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
. He was also the host of the weekly television newsmagazine NHRA Today, which aired over 500 shows between 1990 and 1998. During his tenure with TNN, Evans also covered other motorsports events, such as
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
and
World of Outlaws
The World of Outlaws (often abbreviated WoO) is an American motorsports sanctioning body. The body sanctions two major national touring series. It is best known for sanctioning the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late ...
sprint car racing.
Evans also is remembered for an endless variety of unforgettable and award-winning radio commercials hawking weekly events at the tracks that he managed. In 1987, Evans released Be There, a cassette compilation of his greatest hits, along with other memorable drag racing radio commercials. He later re-released the collection in CD format.
Death
After missing a production meeting in advance of calling the World of Outlaws race at
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada about 15 miles northeast of the Las Vegas Strip, is a complex of multiple tracks for motorsports racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is ...
, Evans died in his sleep in a
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
hotel room on November 1, 2000. He was 58.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Steve
1942 births
2000 deaths
Motorsport announcers
People from Mission Viejo, California