There is no doubt that there is a lot of talented drivers in NASCAR, but what happens when a racecar driver’s skills are used in a way that would have most people shaking their heads?

Well, what former NASCAR driver Tyler Walker found out to be the case is that when used on public roads and added to the possession of illegal substances, once refined professional driving skills can get you in a heap of trouble. According to Yahoo! Sports, Walker was recently stopped after leading police officers on a three-state, high-speed chase last week. Walker’s driving skills may have landed him decent finishes on race courses in the past but using them on highways in Nevada, Arizona and Utah ultimately landed him in the slammer.

As some of you may know, Walker hasn’t been in the NASCAR scene for awhile. That’s because in 2007, the young driver was suspended by NASCAR for violating the organization’s substance abuse policy. That didn’t stop Walker from continuing his racing career, however, as he went on to race sprint cars up through last year. Unfortunately, Walker didn’t seem to avoid his demons by returning to his original home of sprint car competitions, as a rather infamous video of a squabble at Williams Grove Speedway involving the driver spewing rather explicit language just last summer continues to circulate on the web.

But when all was thought to have gone wrong for 33-year-old Walker, he turned a grave situation into one even worse. On Wednesday, January 30th, Walker was caught speeding by police in Nevada. Incidentally, Walker continued to drive at a high rate of speed into Arizona and Utah before he was stopped just six miles into the Beehive State near St. George.

Once Walker’s car was stopped with the aid of police spike strips (all four tires were deflated), Walker continued his run on foot before authorities could apprehend him.

A search of Walker’s car at the scene revealed drug paraphernalia, methamphetamine, marijuana and alcohol in the former NASCAR driver’s possession, according to Utah Highway Patrol Corporal Todd Johnson. Walker and his passenger, Raelie McDonald were also found to be under the influence, prompting several drug and alcohol related charges.

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Certainly looking a bit different than in his official NASCAR racing photo taken in 2007, Walker was arrested with his passenger Raelie McDonald (right) after evading police through three states last week. Images The Spectrum

Following the incident, Walker was booked into the Purgatory Correctional Facility with an $18,000 bond. Both Walker and McDonald could face charges in all three states.

So what have we learned from all this? Answer: Don’t take your track skills to the streets, no matter how good or bad your racing career has gone. And yes, that even goes for you Mr. former NASCAR/sprint car driver!