Ray Evernham has been around cars for most of his life, first tackling short tracks from inside a race car at 15. It wasn’t long before he applied his trade in the sport’s top level — NASCAR’s premier series.
It wasn’t on the track, however, where he became a household name, especially among NASCAR fans. He found his true calling in the sport atop a war wagon on pit road.
Prior to being named crew chief for a young driver known as “Wonder Boy,” Evernham worked with Roger Penske on his IROC team where he had the opportunity to work with some of the world’s best drivers, such as Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Bill Elliott, Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt.
In 1992, Rick Hendrick first paired Evernham with a young, unproven driver named Jeff Gordon in the final race of the 1992 NASCAR premier series season. The duo worked together as crew chief and driver for the next seven years, winning 47 races and three championships in stock car’s highest level, giving rise to one of the most popular crews in NASCAR history — the Rainbow Warriors.
The year after Evernham and Gordon decided to go their separate ways, the former took a swing at owning a team (Evernham Motorsports) in NASCAR’s premier series in 2000. His foray into team ownership also marked Dodge’s re-entry into the sport. (The OEM once again exited the sport in 2012 after one of its drivers Brad Keselowski gave them their final premier series title.)
In the eight years that Evernham owned a team in NASCAR’s premier series by himself, their drivers only visited Victory Lane 13 times with Kasey Kahne (seven wins) leading the way.
In 2007, Evernham partnered with George Gillett, who bought controlling interest of the race team. The team was renamed Gillett Evernham Motorsports. The new moniker didn’t last long, however. In January 2009, Gillett Evernham Motorsports merged with Petty Enterpries, which had been around since NASCAR’s early days. The team would soon be rebranded Richard Petty Motorsports.
Although Evernham left the ranks of team ownership in NASCAR, he never strayed too far from the sport, racing or cars. In the years following his departure from the ranks of team ownership, he has served as a consultant for at least one NASCAR team.
Then in 2017, he received news that he had reached the pinnacle of the sport. It was announced that he would be one of five individuals in the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2018, joining Red Byron, Ron Hornaday Jr., Ken Squier and Robert Yates.
Through his career, Evernham, who is now host of his own show AmeriCarna, has amassed quite a collection of cars in his personal collection, ranging from race cars like Ford Talladegas, Mercury Cyclones and Plymouth Superbirds to a moonshine runner to NASCAR modifieds to Indy cars, sprint cars and drag cars. In addition, his collection wouldn’t be complete without several non-racing, classic cars.
On Saturday, November 4, three cars from the Ray Evernham Collection went under the hammer during the GAA Classic Cars at The Palace auction in Greensboro, N.C. The three cars were a 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air, 1933 Ford Roadster and 1969 Dodge Charger 500.
1954 Chevrolet Bel Air (Lot # ST0134)
Sold: $11,500
*235 Inline 6 Cylinder Engine *Rochester Carburetor *2-Speed Powerglide Automatic Transmission *Equipped with Stock Components
1933 Ford Roadster (Lot # ST0135)
High Bid: $60,000
*NC State-Issued VIN *Steel Body Roadster with Brand New 383 CID Blue Print Engine with Aluminum Cylinder Heads *10:1 Compression with 3 Deuce Aluminum Intake with Super 97 Carburetors *700R4 Automatic Transmission on the Original 1933 Frame with a Quick Change Frankland Rear End *Leaf Spring Suspension in the Front with Coil Over Suspension in the Back *New Maroon Interior *Documented Early Boyd Coddington Wheels
1969 Dodge Charger 500 (Lot # ST0136)
High Bid: $77,500
*Rare Red 1969 Charger 500 with 440 Magnum *Engine Is Period Correct for the Time of Manufacturing *4-Speed Transmission with Hurst Shifter *Registered as #52 in the Chrysler Registry with the Decode Sheets from Galen Govier *Highly Optioned Vehicle with the Track Pack, Power Brakes, White and Black Interior *Bucket Seats with Console *Radio with 8-Track Player *Restored
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