August 2001 -- Lightning bolts and thunder rained down from up above like it was meant to be. Some even ignited the rumor that the whole thing was rigged. Others simply dropped down with other innuendos - attempting to dispel the man ARCA touted as the victor. Very few said nothing. Regardless of what was said, one thing was certain: Walkers Evans (139 pts.) was the man grinning a showman's grin after all was said and done. On the rocks of Cedar City, Utah, it was him and his rear-steering Chevy S-10 who had the bragging rights to proclaim their prowess for this year's Goodyear Skyjacker Extreme Rock Crawling Nationals Cedar City event. No one else. Not even the rocks, which claimed some 72 plus rollovers for the first day of the event, in what many claimed to be the roughest courses ever designed by the hands of ARCA officials. Or was it?

Immediately after the points were tabulated and the Cedar City champ was called, rumors erupted from a slew of sources, claiming that Evans and John Currie (fourth, 189 pts.) were the careful minds behind the course layout. But, those rumors went unsubstantiated and appeared more a token of envy than anything.

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In ARCA, the general vicinity of the course may be a well-known fact to the competitors, but the exact parameters of the obstacles are a "secret." From all accounts, ARCA kept this event's course layout a secret. The rumormongers had marginal evidence in their arsenal. For example, take a look at the points, which had both suspect parties finishing within the top four and all thereafter trailing by a full 56 points.

True, a handful of competitors, including Tri-County Gear's Jason Bunch as well as competitor John Currie were out on the rocks of Cedar City up to three weeks prior to the event, sizing up what turned out to be a good weekend for them. They weren't the only ones out on the rocks before the event. They simply did their homework, crawled well and didn't complain with their results nor blame their shortcomings on some manufactured scenario. The last time Walker schooled the competition for his big debut into rock crawling at Vernal, Utah, it was another excuse. Back then, when the Baja 1000 legend stormed the scene in his tube-framed, rear-steering Chevy Blazer, rumors festered about a flag that Walker's rig walked over. According to the X Files from which this rumor erupted, the judge and/or course marshal looked the other way at the violation, which would have cost him the victory by one point to Joel Randall. But again, this rumor was unsubstantiated.

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Perhaps it's time to put all eyes and video cameras on Walker and actually come up with some evidence rather than just rumor.

The competition on the rocks of Cedar City, Utah may have been fierce for the Goodyear Skyjacker Extreme Rock Crawling Nationals, but the greatest of competitions was not out on the course. It was in the hands of ARCA - or better yet, ARCA's pocket.

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Driver's Check In - Day 1 - Day 2

Try running a tire other than Goodyear and see what you end up with. Better yet, try running a decal from the manufacturer who kicked down that set of tires, such as BFG. You'll find that things don't go over too well with the powers that be. You become the underdog. As for rumors, it was no rumor that Steve Rumore logged the 146 points for a second spot upon the Cedar City podium. The real scoop behind Rumore's ordeal is why the strong arm of ARCA gave him a hard time about running BFGs and the associated decals on his rig. According to Rumore, ARCA said he's got to ditch the decals and run Goodyear decals. The Avalanche Engineering pilot stood his ground and went on about his way, finishing high enough on the ladder to send a message to ARCA, "Live with it."

This scenario is somewhat reminiscent of last year's Farmington event, where ARCA and Goodyear aligned to throw a "Run Off" into the mix. After it was realized that Chris Durham would take the win upon completing his final obstacle, Chris was reported to be offered the possibility of double the prize money if he ditched the last obstacle for a tie and proceeded to win in the "Run Off." Durham's integrity denied the offer, while Dave Wilkins of Goodyear said it was "for the good of the sport. Is it for the good of the sport, competition and ultimately the drivers' success that rock crawling should build its reputation on these actions? It's up to ARCA. When they were approached by BFG about creating a contingency program for BFG-backed drivers, ARCA said no. ARCA officials sent BFG's Jeff Cummings the cold shoulder in light of sponsoring ARCA. According to Jeff, ARCA said, "we already have a tire sponsor." As for competition, the exclusion of competing sponsors is nothing new, especially in the world of NASCAR. When it comes to decisions concerning ARCA, ARCA is responsible. If you don't like it, there are other places to turn such as Sports in the Rough, who was the first rock crawling promoter with its Warn National Rock Crawling Championship. Another such option is the Utah Rockcrawling and Off-Road Challenge. You'll find coverage of UROC's season finale in Vernal, Utah on August 16, 17 and 18, in next month's coverage on ORC. Overall Results 1. Walker Evans - 139 pts.
2. Steve Rumore - 146 pts.
3. Don Robbins - 183 pts.
4. Currie/Waggoner - 189 pts.
5. Rich Hudson - 245 pts.
6. Chris Durham - 256 pts.
7. Jason Bunch - 269 pts.
8. Shannon Campbell - 270 pts.
9. John Gilleland - 279 pts.
10. Mike Shaffer - 280 pts.