SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1514627
PROMINENT RACE CAR BUILDER AND MENTOR BUTCH DEAN PASSES Butch Dean, a prominent race car builder and mentor from Las Vegas, passed away earlier this month, Dean, known to many as “Papa Butch” was the owner of Valley Performance in Las Vegas, and helped ‘raise’ and mentor in desert racing many Las Vegas off-road racers including Herbst brothers Ed, Tim, and Troy, Rob MacCachren, and BJ Baldwin. A major part of his legacy is his family, including sons Pat Dean, JC Dean and grandsons James Dean, and Jordan Dean, are all prominent desert racers, especially in SCORE events. Some of the winningest drivers, many of whom are in the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame, were mentored by Butch Dean, starting with his own family and including MacCachren, Baldwin, Bud Feldkamp, Jack Johnson, Brian Collins, and generations of the Herbst and Gaughan families. “I wouldn’t be sitting here today if it wasn’t for ‘Papa Butch’ Dean,” said Troy Herbst. “He taught me how to drive. He didn’t sit next to me; he wasn’t out on the course. You’d come back to the shop and the bumper was gone and he knew exactly what happened. He was an amazing friend to my dad Jerry Herbst. We would not be where we are at today without his mentorship and knowledge.” Butch Dean, was inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2022. He was part of the foundation and a pillar in desert racing in Southern Nevada. His legacy will live on and he will be missed and remembered by all in desert racing, especially SCORE International.