John Ray (March 25, 1937 – January 27, 2020) was an American

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

driver. The father of

Kevin Ray Kevin Ray (born December 11, 1977) is an American stock car racing driver. Son of Johnny Ray, he is a former competitor in the NASCAR Busch Series and ARCA Racing Series, and was director of business operations for Turner Scott Motorsports. Earl ...

, he was a competitor in the

NASCAR Winston Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...

Career

Ray began his career at the top level of

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

competition, the Winston Cup Series (now the

NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. ...

) in 1974, making his debut at

Alabama International Motor Speedway Talladega Superspeedway, nicknamed “'Dega”, and formerly named Alabama International Motor Speedway (AIMS) from 1969 to 1989, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base ...

(now Talladega Superspeedway); he finished 41st of 50 cars in the event. He went on to race seven more times in the series between 1974 and 1976; his best finish came at Talladega later in 1974, when he finished 22nd. In 1975, Ray, a trucker by profession, set a world speed record for

semi-trailer truck A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semitruck, (or semi, eighteen-wheeler, big rig, tractor-trailer or, by synecdoche, a semitrailer) is the combination of a tractor unit and one or more semi-trailers to carry freight. A semi-trailer ...

s, , at Talladega.Ray's condition serious after three-car wreck
. Gadsden, AL: ''

The Gadsden Times '' The Gadsden Times '' is a daily newspaper serving Gadsden, Alabama, and the surrounding area in northeastern Alabama. The Times was owned by Halifax Media Group. Before that, the newspaper was a member of the New York Times Regional Media Gr ...

'', February 16, 1976, p.7.

Accident

Ray entered the 1976 season planning to compete for Rookie of the Year honors in the Winston Cup Series. Competing in the

1976 Daytona 500 The 1976 Daytona 500, the 18th running of the event, happened on Feb. 15th, 1976 at Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fl. It is remembered for the late-race duel and accident between David Pearson and Richard Petty. Many fans consi ...

, the second race of the season, Ray crashed on the 112th lap, skidding in oil before being hit by

Skip Manning Skip Manning (born April 23, 1945) is a former NASCAR driver from Bogalusa, Louisiana. He competed in seventy-nine Winston Cup events in his career, spanning from 1975 to 1979. Manning won the rookie-of-the-year award in 1976. He had sixteen top ...

. Extricated from his wrecked Chevrolet, Ray was taken to

Halifax Medical Center Halifax Health is a system of hospitals and professional centers in Volusia and Flagler counties in the U.S. state of Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by ...

, where he was found to have no vital signs and was initially declared dead; last-ditch resuscitation efforts managed to revive Ray.Schmitz, Brian. (February 11, 1995)
Kevin Ray Is Following His Father's Career Track
. Orlando, FL: ''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...

''. Accessed 2013-02-26. While he survived the accident, and competed in some local events in Alabama over the next few years, he never participated in NASCAR competition as a driver again.

Post-accident career

Following his recovery, Ray went on to own cars driven by

Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably dri ...

Johnny Rutherford John Sherman "Johnny" Rutherford III (born March 12, 1938), also known as "Lone Star JR", is an American former automobile racing driver. During an Indy Car career that spanned more than three decades, he scored 27 wins and 23 pole positions in 3 ...

, and

Chuck Bown Richard Charles "Chuck" Bown Jr. (born February 22, 1954) is a former NASCAR champion. His last ride came in 1999. He lives with his wife in Asheboro, North Carolina. He is the brother of former fellow NASCAR competitor Jim Bown. 1970s Bown mad ...

during the late 1970s; he also owned a team in the 1990s for his son,

, competing on a limited basis in the

Busch Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

and the ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Supercar Series. Ray, wife Kay, and son John Jnr own John Ray Enterprises LLC, a trucking company established in 1991, after originally starting in 1972 and selling in 1988, the family reacquired the company in 1991 after the new owners went bankrupt. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Ray family began driving one of the John Ray Enterprises tractor-trailers around

Talladega Superspeedway Talladega Superspeedway, nicknamed “'Dega”, and formerly named Alabama International Motor Speedway (AIMS) from 1969 to 1989, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base ...

before the track's Cup races.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, Johnny 1937 births 2020 deaths People from Eastaboga, Alabama Racing drivers from Alabama Place of death missing NASCAR drivers NASCAR team owners American truck drivers