Ray Brown
BornRaymond Lyman Brown
October 13, 1923
Dobbs Ferry, New York
DiedAugust 19, 1989(1989-08-19) (aged 65)[1]
Debut season1949
Championships5
Wins85+
Finished last season1967

Ray Brown (October 13, 1923 – August 19, 1989) was a pioneering driver of Dirt Modified stock cars and later a standout open-cockpit Midget racer. From 1951 to 1959 Brown recorded 43 victories at the Orange County Fair Speedway and claimed three track championships.[2][3]

Racing career

Following his service in World War II, Brown started out racing stock cars — junkyard-refugee jalopies. He successfully competed at Arlington NY, Candlelight Stadium CT, Empire Raceway in Menands NY, Freeport Stadium NY, Morristown NY, Nazareth Speedway PA, Peekskill NY, Pine Bowl Speedway in Snyders Corners NY, and Rhinebeck NY. Brown won the inaugural race at Old Bridge Stadium NJ in 1953 and was crowned the first track champion. He was also the 1950 champion at Riverside Park Speedway MA.[2][3][4][5]

Following the 1959 season, Brown sold off everything to sign on as a Midget racer with the American Racing Drivers Club, winning 7 of his first 9 at Williams Grove Speedway PA, as well as events at Old Bridge Stadium, Reading Fairgrounds Speedway PA, and Victory/Orange County Fair Speedway.[1][6][7][8][9][10] He won 27 Midget features from 1960 to 1967, retiring after he was involved in a motorcycle accident that seriously injured one of his legs.[2][3]

Ray Brown was inducted into the Eastern Motorsports Press Association and the Northeast Dirt Modified Halls of Fame.[2][6]

References

  1. 1 2 "Ray Brown-Career Results by Series". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Marlow, Bob (July 14, 2019). "World War II vet Ray Brown was a dominant driver". The Citizen (Auburn, New York). Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Swanson, Buffy (March 22, 2019). "Johnson, O'Brien and Brown Selected to NE Dirt Modified Hall of Fame for 2019". Dirt Track Digest. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Veterans Day at Pine Bowl". The Berkshire Eagle. September 23, 1953. p. 17. Retrieved September 16, 2023 – via NewspaperArchive.
  5. ↑ "Ray Brown captures last stock race". Times Herald-Record. October 24, 1955. p. 8. Retrieved September 16, 2023 – via NewspaperArchive.
  6. 1 2 "EMPA Hall of Fame - Ray Brown". Eastern Motorsports Press Association. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Frank Schneider Ray Brown win Victory races". The Evening News (Newburgh). June 8, 1963. p. 17. Retrieved September 16, 2023 – via Google Books.
  8. ↑ "Old Bridge Speedway opens tomorrow night". The Red Bank Register. April 29, 1965. p. 26. Retrieved September 16, 2023 – via NewspaperArchive.
  9. ↑ "Brown added to midget field at Reading". Reading Eagle. June 27, 1966. p. 19. Retrieved September 16, 2023 – via Google Books.
  10. ↑ "Williams Grove Double Header". Lebanon Daily News. August 12, 1966. p. 12. Retrieved September 16, 2023 – via NewspaperArchive.
  • Ray Brown driver statistics at Racing-Reference
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