It was way late after the Tallagega race when I saw the family’s announcement that Mitch “The Dr.” Walker had passed away. Mitch had been a contributor on PattyKay Lilly’s “Race Fans Forever” website. That’s where I first met him, where our paths crossed initially. Turns out we had connections that went beyond the writings on the site and a love of racing.
Maybe that’s why his passing hurt so much.
Where my writing style tends to wander, Mitch’s was laser focused. It had to be… he had too much going on, too much to get done. I don’t know how many times I would click on a new posting and think, “Man, I wished I’d said that.” On more than one occasion I reached out to bounce an idea off him, get his perspective on things or a deeper explanation. He always had time for me and would take however long it would take to satisfy my inquiry (well almost every time… there was that time when he had cookies in the oven that needed to come out when I texted him… but that’s understandable. There are some things more important than talking about racing… fresh, hot cookies being one).
If you look back at his writings… turns out they were timeless. Issues then are still issues today. I guess that’s what happens when you speak truth.
And not matter where or what level you started, the conversation would eventually turn to local racing and he would pick your brain on how they were doing things in your neck of the woods, what were the issues there, what was working?
Local racing was his heart. I think you could pick him up and drop him at the Start/Finish Line at the Indy 500 and before the race was through, he’d be wanting to be back at Boyd’s.
I can respect that.
Mitch was a racer through and through. He was well versed at any level and any period, but his heart was at the local short tracks. His love for racing, he got it early and he got it honest as he tells in his cameo appearance in, Its in the Blood: The Origins of Chattanooga Racing the 2022 documentary that traces racing from its moonshining roots in Chattanooga and Northern Georgia to the Beaches and High Banks of Daytona and back.
Scroll to the 1:33:55 mark and hear him tell how at Boyd Speedway, Bobby Allison made an everlasting impression on the Georgia youngster.
53 years ago. I came to this race track.
Stood right down there in the middle of the infield. And met Bobby Allison.
He stopped. Patted me on the head. Knelt down beside me and said, “Have you come to see some racing, young man?”
I said “Yes sir. I did.”
He said, “Well I think you’re going to see it tonight.
That was 53 years ago.
That was my very first race.
And I have come full circle.
That was my first race
Now I am the voice of Boyd Speedway.
And the rest. as we say, is history.
From those early beginnings, Mitch would go on to drive sprints and midgets for 18 years. As a crew chief he won six track championships at North Georgia. Known as “The Dr.” he hosted “The Mitch Walker Show” on Performance Motorsports Network. Furthering his love for the local short tracks he became involved in a program to make safety equipment available for local short track drivers. He saw preserving local racing history vital to its future and growth and became involved with the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame.
Mitch’s motto was #racershelpingracers and his heroes were Jimmy Mosteller, founder of the Hava-Tampa NDRA dirt racing series and sprint car driver, Walt Kennedy. In addition to being a contributor to Race Fans Forever, he was probably best known as the track announcer at Boyd’s Speedway in Ringgold, GA and North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth GA.
And he was definitely a fan favorite, especially among the future fans.
Mitch definitely loved announcing and tells his story how he got into it at this post on Race Fans Forever. Some of his race calls are included in the documentary, most notably at 25:50 mark. Tune in. I think you’ll understand.
When I got the news about Mitch’s passing all I knew to do at the time was to stop and reflect on what little I knew about him but in what brief time we knew each other, how he’d made an impact on me. I stopped and looked back over the posts we’d exchanged. I watched scenes from Its in the Blood: The Origins of Chattanooga Racing over and over.
I went back to FaceBook to try to fill in the blanks, get answers to questions. The outpouring from folks from all over was amazing. And it wasn’t from just racers. High School friends, Navy buddies, racers, media, folks he’d done photography work for or just helped out along the way all chimed in and shared. A piece here. A piece there. His life being shared from those he touched perspective.
I noticed a recurring pattern with each. It was We met/We talked/We’re friends. No matter the background it seems like if you ever met or had contact with him, you had a chance to talk, you left as friends.
Time and time and time again.
Through my researched I learned that in addition to racing, Mitch loved photography, fishing and food.
Through the darkest times and even up to the end Mitch was posting pictures of meals from Varnell Café in Dalton. If I ever get within two hours of there I’m stopping by and I’m sure there is some of their Red Velvet Cake and Strawberry Short Cake in Heaven… else it wouldn’t be Heaven.
His biggest love was family. We were so happy when earlier this year he posted he was getting out of rehab to go see Eli graduate 5th grade and JD graduate High School. No matter what he just wasn’t going to miss that… sickness or not.
As I continued searching, although Mitch would occasionally mention how things were going health wise, he didn’t focus on it, instead keeping things in perspective and putting his faith in God, encouraging others to do so as well.
But when he did talk about things, Mitch had a way of bringing it back into racing. I’m not sure many would think to Black Flag Cancer, but it’s exactly what needs to be done and it was said in a way that only “The Dr.” could
For several months Mitch and his pastor, Gary McPherson at Agape Baptist Church in Chatsworth, GA had been working on the right time for Mitch to give his testimony. For all that God had brought him through he had a story folks needed to hear. If I follow the timeline properly, they had decided Mitch would give his testimony on November 2, NASCAR Championship Sunday-How fitting!
God had other plans. Instead, Mitch’s memorial service at Agape Baptist will be on that date with doors opening at 3:30 PM and ceremonies beginning at 4:15/4:30 PM. It will be a time to share stories, memories and to celebrate the life and journey Mitch Walker lived and traveled. Mitch won’t get a chance to give his testimony that day but instead it will be given by those he touched throughout his life.
When I first heard of Mitch’s passing one of my first thoughts was, I wonder what PattyKay Lilley from Race Fans Forever had to say about his arrival. My guess she’d give him a playful verbal jab because that’s the way she was. But I can also hear her say, “Mitch, the next race we got Fireball, Friday, Freddie and some others lined up and waiting to go. Ken Squire has been keeping the seat warm and mic hot just waiting for you. You ready to go?”
His voice would never sound stronger or clearer as he calls the field to the Green on the way to Turn One.
His wife had recently asked him just a few months earlier if he wanted to go back to announcing… none of us knew that it would be in Eternity.
Godspeed Mitch Walker and thank you for all that you have done for racing and for me personally. I appreciate all of your time you gave me to help make me a better race fan and a better writer. Hopefully someday I’ll get on the same lap as you. Till then, we’ll keep digging in hopes of a Lucky Dog.
May all your laps be Green and you get to the Checkers first.
PattyKay would always end her articles with a song, so it’s probably appropriate we end with a song as well. Mitch referred to this one often on his Facebook page. I think he’d approve. “God Did That” by Cody McCarver
Thunder On… and Stay Safe!
David Nance
Photo credits (cover): Performance Motorsports Network | WingDing MEDIA™ We here at Pure Thunder Racing like to offers our deepest Condolences to Mitch Walkers Family and a warm thank you for letting us Honer our Freind Mitch in this way. // B
Also: https://www.gofundme.com/f/mitch-walker-the-dr?attribution_id=sl:3ccdf290-4889-4a64-b3c1-d3ae66792bee&lang=en_US&ts=1761427060&utm_campaign=man_sharesheet_dash&utm_content=amp17_te&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link
I would encourage folks who are interested in racing history to watch it in full. Contains lots of info and perspectives that you may not know about. Fills in some blanks. Has lots of great footage and to hear the story through the legends of that region and their families while tying old with new is a unique delivery.
Now we are in the off-season (thankfully) check it out!.
Truly I didn’t know The Dr. except through his writing. It’s sad when we lose our connections with the major-league NASCAR of old, but even moreso when we lose guys like Mitch Walker, who knew so much about the history of racing in the Chattanooga area. That information is much more likely to be lost forever with each passing of someone like Mitch.