Davey Ray.com | Racing Family History

Davey will compete on Wednesday night, January 9th for the 22nd Annual Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.
Ray was last year's "Creek Nation Casino" feature winner.

Family History

Davey Ray
Davey started racing go-karts at the age of 11 and won 8 championships before moving on to the midgets in 1997. He finished 7th in the MARA midget point standings and was named "Rookie of the Year." In 2001, he was the first driver to win a feature with a Mopar powered midget in the opening 50 lap race at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, WI driving the Harlin Kittleson owned car.

In 2003, he teamed up with Ralph Wilke and Joe Vukelich to win the Badger Midget Championship winning at 4 different tracks, including the Firemen Nationals and topped all five of the statistic categories for the season.

In 2004, driving for Wilke/PAK Motorsports, he won his first 2 USAC National feature events at Eagle Raceway in Lincoln, NE and Limaland Motorsports Park in Lima, OH and was crowned the "Buckeye Nationals Champion." Although only competing in 12 of the 24 National events, he finished 8th in the points and was named USAC's "Most Improved Driver" in the midget division.

Ray also ran several USAC sprint car races, winning a heat race at Eldora Speedway his first time in a sprint car, finished 4th in the Mopar Thunder race there in August, and set fast time at Dixie Speedway in October. With several other top 5 finishes, he was named the 2004 "Rookie of the Year" by the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.

In the 2005 Belleville Midget Nationals Davey drove the Terry Klatt midget and would track down Jerry Coons and actually lead lap 38 of the 40 lap event in one of the most exciting nationals ever. In the Hut 100 he took home another 2nd place finish in the Steve Lewis Nine Racing midget.

Davey won his third USAC feature during Indiana Midget Week driving the Keith Kunz owned car at I-69 Gas City Speedway.

Davey represented team USA in the New Zealand International Race of Champions and in 2006, came home with a win there and also won the "Australian Speedcar Championship" in one of the most exciting title races in years, driving for Steve Smith and Bill Buckley.

In 2007, Davey won the Wednesday night preliminary feature at the Tulsa Oklahoma Chili Bowl Nationals, in a Spike chassis owned by the newly formed Mecum Racing Team, and powered by his father, Dave's, Chevy engine.

In 2008, Davey won the opening race in the New Zealand Internatinal race series in the brand new Simon Longdill built V-8 engine. He also took home his 2nd Australian Speedcar Title at Perth Motorsports Complex, becoming one of only 2 U.S. drivers to win it twice. The other being the late great Bob Tattersall.

Davey has proven to be a very versatile driver winning 24 feature events in midgets with five different chassis, and six different engines, for eight different car owners. Davey is a full time race car driver, and fabricator.

Dave Ray
Dave Ray started racing go-karts at the age of nine and won several local Championships and in 1966 the National go-kart Championship in Quincy, IL.

In 1973 at the age of 18, he started racing midgets in the family owned #33 car -an Edmunds with a Chevy II engine built by his father, Ralph. He finished 6th in Badger points and was named "Rookie of the Year." After a second place finish in the 1975 Badger points, Dave stepped out of the family car to allow his brother, Mark to start his career. In 1976, he was hired by his future father-in-law, John Heisdorf, and they went on to win the title in 1977. In 1978 Dave built his 1st chassis, the "Brand X," in which brother-in-law, Ken Biertzer won the Championship for Heisdorf, and Dave finished 2nd in the Badger points.

Dave then started building more cars in the shop in Davenport, Iowa, and won the 1981 Midwest Auto Racing Association Championship with a VW engine built by brother, Mark. He is only one of two drivers to win both the Badger and MARA midget Championships, the other being the late, Kevin Doty.

Above: Dave Ray and Family at Angell Park Speedway

In 1983 he finished third in the Badger Championship and in the late 80's concentrated on running the whole USAC schedule and finished a career best of 4th place behind USAC greats, Rich Vogler, Mel Kenyon, and Tom Bigelow. They ran the full season coast to coast with Dave's chassis and VW engines built by Mark, all while holding down a full time job.

Dave won a total of 24 features at 14 different race tracks around the country before stepping out of the car in 1997 at the age of 42, for son Davey to drive.

Dave also built go-kart frames for his son and two daughters that also won several go-kart titles, and the chassis and Sesco engine son Davey drive to the 1997 MARA "Rookie of the Year" title.

He built one quarter midget chassis for nephew, Robbie, and he won several winged three quarter midget title with it.

Above: Dave's son, Davey trying
out Dad's racecar as a toddler

Most recently, Dave built the Chevy engine Davey won the preliminary feature with at the 2007 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.

Dave, besides being a racecar fabricator, is a tool designer by trade, and runs his own business, Ray Pro Engineering in Davenport, Iowa.

Ralph Ray

Ralph Ray is the paternal Grandfather of third generation racer, Davey Ray. In 1944 Ralph enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the age of 17 and served in World War II. Ralph was always a perfectionist in everything he did, including running Inter-City Builders, a roofing and siding business he owned.

Ralph always had a passion for racing. He drove and owned stock cars in the 50's and 60's, and took much pride in building his own engines. The stock block flathead in his 1937 Ford Coupe was hand ported and relieved. It had Edelbrock Aluminum cylinder heads, Jahns Racing pistons, Twin Stromberg 48 carburetors, and a WHN duo coil ignition.

Along with friend, Dayle Ahrens and sponsor, Everett's DX, they raced at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport and Bluegrass, Iowa, Sterling, Illinois, and many other local tracks.

In 1964 he started his sons, Dave and Mark, in go-kart racing. They won several local and regional championships and in 1966, the National title in Quincy, Illinois.

In 1972 they bought their first midget from Mel and Don Kenyon, a former Howard Linne owned Edmunds 4-Bar chassis, with a Chevy II engine built by Ralph. In 1973, son Dave would compete in the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association, and finish 6th in the year end point standings, winning his first feature on the 1/2 mile in Wausau, WI, on his way to the Rookie of the Year title.

In 1975 they finished a highly respectable 2nd place in the Badger points, and in 1976, son Mark started his midget debut behind the wheel of the family owned car.

When Dave started building his own chassis, and Mark the VW engines, Ralph helped his sons compete all over the Midwest, taking the 1981 MARA Championship and finishing 1-2 in the 8-race UARA/MARA Challenge Cup series the same year. Ralph was active in the MARA midgets, working closely with promoters in signing races with the club, and getting lap sponsorship money for many of the major races.

They would go on to run the full USAC series in1985 and 1986, finishing 4th and 5th in the year end season points, behind USAC greats, Rich Vogler, Mel Kenyon, and Tom Bigelow.

In 1990, the racing would start all over again, as he started the racing career of Grandson, Davey, getting him started in the go-kart division. Grandchildren, Heidi, Laura, and Robbie would follow in his footsteps. Ralph passed away in 1994, the day Heidi clinched her first go-kart championship. Ralph was so proud of his children and grandchildren, and passed on his knowledge and love of racing to all of them.

John Heisdorf
John Heisdorf was introduced to racing at an early age by his father. Barely a year went by, starting in the late 20's that they would miss attending the races at the Wisconsin State Fair Park. John would collect almost every program from the races and draw pictures of the cars so he could go home and make models of them in the garage.

Years later, when John could take time away from farming in Wisconsin, he would travel extensively throughout the Midwest to watch IMCA sprint car races. There he befriended Hector "Pappy" Honore, owner of the famed "Black Deuce." John would meet with the team at tracks like Lincoln, NE, Cedar Rapids, IA, St. Paul, MN, and Wausau, WI. He helped pit for drivers Bobby Grim, Pete Folse, Gordon Wooley, "Scratch" and "Itch" Daniels, and Bill Puterbaugh. Hector and John became good friends and he gave John the nickname "Chief." In the winter months, John would take a "race vacation" and travel to help Pappy at the Florida races.

In a Christmas card sent to Chief in 1980, Hector wrote the record of the last sprint car he ran-the record reads, 233-1st, 86-2nd, 52-3rd, 25-4th, failed to finish 10 times in 13 years due to flat tire or mechanical failure- not bad. Set 75 new tracks records!

John's other favorite drivers included Don Branson, Lee Kunzman, Jerry Richert, and Jerry Blundy.

Not long after Hector decided to retire, John decided he would buy a midget to race at nearby track, Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, WI, with the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association. He purchased an old Kurtis Kraft from Ron Pfiel in 1969 and ran only a few races in 1970 and 1971. He then decided it was time for a class one operation. He approached Dennis Frings, a late model builder from Menomonee Falls, WI, and asked him if he would be interested in building a midget. He agreed to take on the task and along with Chevy II engine builder, Bill Hudson from West Bend, WI, John created the Heisdorf Racing Team. He hired Chuck Dann, a modified driver from Milwaukee, WI and in 1972, they finished 3rd in the point standings. John Hartwig took over the driving duties and won the first five features at Angell Park Speedway on his way to winning the 1973 Championship. Not bad for a brand new team, chassis, and engine builder.

John purchased a second car from Gene Willman at the end of the '72 season to use as a backup car, but in 1974 debut a 2-car team with Bob Waldan, from Zion, IL behind the wheel. It was a fierce battle between the 2 drivers for the Championship. They each won 4 features and 6 trophy dashes, Hartwig 7 heats, Waldan 6, Hartwig 3 fast times, and Waldan 4! The points battle came down to the last race at Hales Corners Speedway. Waldan hit the wall in hot laps and he had to retire the 2B car for the evening. Dave Ray, Sr., then in his second year of racing, offered to let Bob drive his car. Hartwig won the race, and Bob finished 4th in the Ralph Ray #33 to clinch the Championship by a mere 4 points over Hartwig-the closest point battle in Badger history! On top of that, the Heisdorf Team finished 1-2 in the owner standings in just their first full season of running a 2-car team.

In 1975, John bought a brand new Edmunds chassis and Madison's AL Moldenhauer would take over the driving duties and build the Chevy II engines for them. They finished 3rd and 5th in the season points. The highlight of the season being when Moldenhauer won the team's first Asphalt race at Rockford, IL.

In 1976, son-in-law, Ken Biertzer would take over the Frings car from Waldan, and Dave Ray was hired half way through the season to drive the second car. This proved to be the most potent of the Heisdorf Team drivers, as the Badger announcer named them the "Thunder and Lightning" of the "Hustlin" Heisdorf Team.

In 1977, Dave won the Championship in the new Sesco powered car to take the title over Kevin Olson and Stan Fox. The average car count was 43 cars that year.

Dave wanted to start building cars and John agreed to have him build one specifically to fit Ken, and would put a new Volkswagen engine built by Mark Ray in it. The Ray "Brand X" chassis proved itself right out of the box, winning it's first race at Beaver Dam, WI for the Badger season opener. Biertzer would go on to win the 4th Championship title for Heisdorf with the "Thunder and Lightning" duo winning 9 of 19 Badger features -5 in which they finished 1-2. Heisdorf also finished 1st and 2nd in the car owner points for the 2nd time in his short career, and the 1st Ray "Brand X" chassis won the Championship also.

The next few years, Heisdorf only ran sporadically as Biertzer again ran modifieds and Dave began to run all over the country with USAC and MARA for his father, Ralph Ray.

Heisdorf, who also served on the Badger board of directors, is one of the most successful Badger car owners, winning 4 titles with 4 different drivers in 6 short years. In two of those seasons, his 2-car team literally dominated finishing 1-2 in the standings. The famed red, white, and blue #2 "Sugar Babe" and "Sugar Daddy" cars were always some of the best appearing on the track.

John proved himself as a great mechanic also, winning titles with a Chevy II, Sesco, and Volkswagen power plant, and a Frings, Edmunds, and Brand X chassis, the Frings being the only one of it's kind, and the Brand X chassis the first one Dave ever built.

Other drivers that drove for John were George Carey, Tom Gruenwald, and Ron Pfiel.

John lived in Kewaskum, WI with his wife, Arcella, and 11 children. In 1994 he attended his last race, the Pepsi Nationals at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, WI, and passed away just 2 months later.