About

ROGER NORMAN

A RACING PROTÉGÉ EMERGES FROM THE SHADOWS

The back story of this sport’s people, can, upon examination, be a very fascinating thing. Their collective roots stretch deep and wide over an incredible array of the entire motorsports landscape.

A perfect case in point is new Trophy-Truck driver Roger Norman. His name may not be familiar to all, but his background is the stuff of racing royalty.

His mother is Fran Muncey and his late stepfather is Bill Muncey, the family that for years fielded some of the fastest, most radical Unlimited hydroplane racing boats ever to assault the water. Remember the Miss Thriftway, Atlas Van Lines, Miller-American and Circus-Circus boats? Yep, those are the famous Unlimiteds of the Muncey family–a family that won 100 race victories and 16 gold cups.

Roger’s father Don R. Norman liked speed too, and he fielded a team in the old IMSA sports car series that won such important races as the 24 Hours of LeMans, the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. One thing that Roger’s father and step-father had in common was off-roading. Both men enjoyed taking dune buggies around the off-road wonderland near their San Diego, Calif. homes.

But instead of indulging his quest to try off-road racing, from a young age Roger concentrated instead on building his construction and real estate business along with his high school sweetheart, Elise. The couple married and later moved to Reno, Nev., to take advantage of the area’s real estate opportunities.

By 1996, business was good and Roger entered the Vegas to Reno race with motorcycle icon Chris Haines in a Class 10 car. Both wives were the only pit crew they had. He soon found himself part of Rod Hall’s factory-backed Hummer team in 1998, and by 1999, he and Hall had won the BITD championship before winning the SCORE Baja 1000 with Chad Hall in 2001.

Baja has been good to Roger; he claimed a victory in the Wide Open Baja Challenge in 2004 co-driving with Bob Sutton, Rod Millen and actor Paul Newman. That win was repeated in 2005 with Sutton, Millen and Mike “Mouse” McCoy.

Roger and Elise, who recently restored the original Crystal Bay Club Casino in north Lake Tahoe, are now part of the Clement/Norman Wide Open Trophy-Truck team that debuted in June’s SCORE Baja 500. At the recent BITD Vegas to Reno, he teamed with Reno friend John Harrah in Class 1500 to post a third in class and sixth overall performance that was exactly 10 years after his first desert race ever.

Seems like the life of one Roger Norman has not only come full circle,but it has enough momentum to go another round.

STORY BY MARTY FIOLKA >> DIRTsports Magazine