Pioneer, founder, organizer, steward, promoter

Few have done as much to promote off-road racing in the US and made more friends in the process. In 1969, Lott teamed with other racers to start the Southern Nevada Off Road Association (SNORE), a non-profit organization to promote off-road recreation. Lott served as its President in 1973 and 1975. It remains an active force today. Lott also served as chief steward and organizer of Del Webb’s Mint 400 desert race, the country’s richest and most successful event of its type. In 1976 he founded the High Desert Racing Association (HDRA). He later joined with SCORE’s Sal Fish to merge HDRA/SCORE into a single “super series” to benefit fans, competitors and manufacturers alike. "Off-roading was more a family affair in those days, but Walt had the idea that it could become a major professional sport," longtime associate Don Chase explained to the New York Times. Lott died while working the 1988 Fireworks 250. He was inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2007.