Off-road driver, team owner

The license plate on “Lightning Larry’s” Chevy pre-runner read, “1 BAJA.” Rightly so. The Arizonan is tied for the most Baja 1000 overall four-wheel victories (five) in the 50+-year history of off-roading’s premier race, including three straight (1995-7). That’s just the beginning of a resume that includes victories in every major off-road event, including the Baja 500, Mint 400 and Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, where Ragland scored multiple wins. Ragland was almost Fangio-like at combining blazing speed with the smoothness and mechanical sympathy necessary to finish races and become one of off-road’s most prolific winners, including 11 championships. He began his career on dirt bikes before transitioning to a Class 1 FUNCO buggy. His major wins came behind the wheel of a variety of usually General Motors pickups and SUVs. When the Trophy Truck era began in 1995, Ragland was ready and one of its principal proponents. Ragland was featured in the 2001 video game “Larry Ragland's 4x4 Challenge” and inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2016.