Ray Brown (racing driver)
{{other people||Raymond Brown (disambiguation){{!}}Raymond Brown}}
{{Short description|American racing driver (born 1923)}}
{{Infobox racing driver
| name = Ray Brown
| image =
| birth_name = Raymond Lyman Brown
| birth_date = October 13, 1923
| birth_place = Dobbs Ferry, New York
| death_date = {{death date and age|1989|8|19|1923|10|13|mf=y}}{{cite web|url= https://thethirdturn.com/wiki/Ray_Brown |title= Ray Brown-Career Results by Series |publisher = The Third Turn| access-date=September 15, 2023}}
| current series =
| first year = 1949
| car number =
| wins = 27+
| prev series = Modified racing
58+
5
| prev series years = 1949-1959
Wins
Championships
| retired = 1967
| titles =
| awards=
| updated=
|last series=Midget car racing|years active=1960-1967}}
Raymond "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.{{cite news |last=Marlow |first=Bob |date=July 14, 2019 |title=World War II vet Ray Brown was a dominant driver |url=https://auburnpub.com/sports/local/dirt-hall-of-fame-profile-world-war-ii-vet-ray-brown-was-a-dominant-driver/article_6567423c-6160-5d40-9ed2-cef5302c589d.html |accessdate=September 16, 2023 |work=The Citizen |publisher= |location=Auburn NY}}{{cite news|last=Swanson |first= Buffy |title=Johnson, O’Brien and Brown Selected to NE Dirt Modified Hall of Fame for 2019 |url=https://www.dirttrackdigest.com/press-box/2019/03/22/johnson-obrien-and-brown-selected-to-ne-dirt-modified-hall-of-fame-for-2019/ |date=March 22, 2019 |publisher=Dirt Track Digest |accessdate=September 16, 2023}}
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.{{cite news |date=September 23, 1953 |title=Veterans Day at Pine Bowl |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/massachusetts/pittsfield/pittsfield-berkshire-evening-eagle/1953/09-12/page-17/ |accessdate=September 16, 2023 |work=The Berkshire Eagle |publisher= |location=Pittsfield MA |page=17 |via=NewspaperArchive}}{{cite news |date=October 24, 1955 |title=Ray Brown captures last stock race |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/new-york/middletown/middletown-times-herald/1955/10-24/page-11/ |accessdate=September 16, 2023 |work=Times Herald-Record |publisher= |location=Middletown NY |page=8 |via=NewspaperArchive}}
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.{{cite web|url= https://www.empaonline.org/ray-brown-bio-page.html |title= EMPA Hall of Fame - Ray Brown |publisher = Eastern Motorsports Press Association | access-date=September 15, 2023}}{{cite news |date=June 8, 1963 |title=Frank Schneider Ray Brown win Victory races |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fTpRAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA17&dq=Ray+Brown+Win+Victory+Races&article_id=3188,985051 |accessdate=September 16, 2023 |work=The Evening News |publisher= |location=Newburgh NY |page=17 |via=Google Books}}{{cite news |date=April 29, 1965 |title=Old Bridge Speedway opens tomorrow night |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/new-jersey/red-bank/red-bank-register/1965/04-29/page-26/ |accessdate=September 16, 2023 |work=The Red Bank Register |publisher= |location=NJ |page=26 |via=NewspaperArchive}}{{cite news |date=June 27, 1966 |title=Brown added to midget field at Reading |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n7whAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA19&dq=ray+brown+ardc&article_id=2427,7189508 |accessdate=September 16, 2023 |work=Reading Eagle |publisher= |location=PA |page=19 |via=Google Books}}{{cite news |date=August 12, 1966 |title=Williams Grove Double Header |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/pennsylvania/lebanon/lebanon-daily-news/1966/08-12/page-10/ |accessdate=September 16, 2023 |work=Lebanon Daily News |publisher= |location=PA |page=12 |via=NewspaperArchive}} 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.
Ray Brown was inducted into the Eastern Motorsports Press Association and the Northeast Dirt Modified Halls of Fame.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Racing-Reference driver|Ray_Brown}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Ray}}