THE OFFICIAL SITE OF DAVEY RAY



 
 

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News Archive
2009-2008 Press Releases

11/21/09 -Ray wins 2 out of 3 on Down Under Tour

 American midget star Davey Ray once again steered his way to victory lane at Victoria's Avalon Raceway in Australia.  Ray commanded the 30-lap Triple X Speedcar Super Series event driving the Brad Dent owned #N11 Aggressor chassis with a Hawk engine by Barry Graham.

Racing was threatened by rain all night forcing the cancellation of qualifying and the pole shuffle, however, competitors were able to complete six heat races and a feature for the patient fans.  Ray scored a 2nd and 1st place finish in his heat events, which would line him up to start from the pole position for the feature.  While the feature event was halted several times for crashes, Ray was able to bring home the win and take the checkered flag in front of Nathan Smee and Troy Jenkins who rounded out the top 3. 

“I have to thank Brad (Brad Dent, car owner) for the chance to race with these guys,” said a jubilant Ray from the winner’s circle.

This event concludes Ray's first tour down under with hopes of returning for a second at the beginning of 2010.  Out of the three races he competed in, Ray is bringing home two trophies to the U.S.A. including the highest paying midget race in Australia, the prestigious Magic Man 34 at Perth Motorplex.  Ray heads home to the states proudly in time for the holidays and to prepare for the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals coming up in January.  Plans are being made for Ray to possibly return down under after the Chili Bowl Nationals for additional events.  Stay tuned for more details.   

Congratulations to Davey and the teams of Mark DeRosa and Brad Dent on their impressive victories!

11/09/09 -From www.speedcarworld.com.au:  Davey Ray Wins Magic Man 34!

The “Magic Man 34” at the Perth Motorplex Speedway Saturday was won by American Davey Ray. Ray dominated the non-stop speedcar feature race and picked up a $12,000cheque for his race win; he had a smile on his face as wide as Daytona Beach.

 Ray led from the pole and was never challenged in the spectacular race, winning from Nathan Smee and Scott Glazebrook.

 Nathan Smee put in a gallant effort to challenge Ray at one stage for the lead.  “I probably missed my opportunity in lapped traffic, but Davey is a good racer, we tried had but that’s all we had.  A restart would have been nice, but it was a pleasure to come over for the Figs race.”

 Glazebrook was happy to finish third, while Neville Lane was looking for something up high early on and ran side by side Smee for a couple of laps before losing ground after Keith Giles moved into fourth.

 With 26 laps remaining Ray and Brown were into lapped traffic.  With 17 to go Ray got a momentary break over Brown in traffic.  With 14 laps remaining Ray passed Dene McAllan who won the event last year but struggled this time around after a crash in one of the heats.  Smee closed in on Ray with 11 laps to go while in traffic but as the laps counted down Ray then pulled away for the convincing win.

 Ray was quick to remind everyone what the race was really about – the memory of former champion Michael Figliomeni.  “It feels good…but I just want everyone to keep in mind this race is for him.”

 So what is it that makes this combination good enough to win?  The engine is ‘home made’, using 2 x 1400cc 4 cylinder, in line, stock standard Kawasaki motor cycle cylinder blocks, cylinder heads, cam shafts, pistons and con rods on a ‘home made’ crankcase and crankshaft to form a 2.8 litre V8…. It sounds bizarre…but it works…and it works well.

 And when it’s in ‘full flight’, throttle wide open, powering ¾ track high sideways thru the turns… it looks and sounds just awesome… and with a huge Wow factor !  It sits like it’s glued to the track with Davey Ray in full control… brings back memories of those ‘Two-Gun’ Bob Tattersall days…. Pure ‘Methanol Heaven”!

 Qualifying times:  Davye Ray 16.273, Mark Brown 16.935, Nathan Smee 17.102, Dene McAllan 17.116, Neville Lance 17.686, Steve Doyle 17.778, Scott Glazebrook 17.894, Vaughan Manders 18.233, Rick Geneve 18.262, Paul Robinson 18.268, Jason Roser 18.368, Glen Mears 18.385, Tom Watson 18.466, Keith Giles 18.509, Dayne Kingshott 18.997, Perry Farcich 19.138, Shaun North 20.939.

 Heat 1: 1st Tom Watson, 2nd Neville Lance, 3rd Rick Geneve, 4th Davey Ray, 5th Nathan Smee, 6th Jason Roser, 7th Scott Glazebrook, 8th Shaun North.  DNF: Dayne Kingshott.
Heat 2: 1st Keith Giles, 2nd Mark Brown, 3rd Steve Doyle, 4th Dene McAllan, 5th Paul Robinson, 6th Vaughan Manders, 7th Glen Mears, 8th Perry Farcich.
Heat 3: 1st Keith Giles, 2nd Nathan Smee, 3rd Mark Brown, 4th Paul Robinson, 5th Scott Glazebrook, 6th Vaughan Manders, 7th Shaun North.  DNF: Steve Doyle, Dayne Kingshott.
Heat 4: 1st Davey Ray, 2nd Tom Watson, 3rd Rick Geneve, 4th Neville Lance.  DNF: Perry Farcich, Vaughan Manders, Dene McAllan.
Feature race: 1st Davey Ray, 2nd Nathan Smee, 3rd Scott Glazebrook, 4th Mark Brown, 5th Rick Geneve, 6th Steve Doyle, 7th Paul Robinson, 8th Vaughan Manders, 9th Dayne Kingshott.  DNF: Jason Roser, Keith Giles, Shaun North, Dene McAllan, Neville Lane, Tom Watson, Perry Farcich.
 

Reservations now being accepted for National Auto Racing Hall of Fame
10/27/09 -Reservations are now being accepted for the 2010 National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. The banquet and luncheon will be held 11 a.m. on Friday, January 15, in Central Park Hall on the grounds of the Tulsa Expo. This even coincides with the famed Chili Bowl Nationals. Fourteen people will be honored this year.

Everyone is welcome to attend this memorable event. Tickets, which include the ceremony and luncheon are only $25. Orders are currently being accepted online at the Hall’s website, www.worthyofhonor.com or through the mail at: NMARHoF Box 747 Sun Prairie, WI 53590. The deadline for ordering is December 31, 2010.  See the website for the list of inductees and other details.
 

Ray set to make comeback after injury

8/19/09 -Davey Ray has been released to race after almost 12 weeks of recovery from a broken knee cap suffered in an accident at Knoxville Raceway back in May.  Ray was expected to be out for at least 6 weeks for the initial break to heal, but it took an additional 6 weeks of physical therapy exercises for the muscles around the knee cap to heal.  Daily biking, stretching, and climbing in the cockpit of his racecar were some of the activities Ray performed in order to get his knee at the 90 degree angle needed to safely return to racing. 

Ray is set to make his return on Sunday August 23rd at Angell Park Speedway for the “Corn Fest 50” event.  Ray is a two-time winner of the “Corn Fest” event claiming the 2008 50-lapper driving for John Jones and the 2004 event driving for RaJo/Wilke.  Ray will pilot the Mecum Racing No. 33 this weekend, and couldn’t be happier to make his return.

 Davey would like to send out a special thank you to Mike Guglielmicci Sr. Racer Benevolent Fund www.mikegracefest.com, USAC Racing, Ken and Shirley Warren, Mick and Carl Lamb, and everyone else for all their help during his recovery, especially all the fans, friends, and family members who called and left messages after the accident.  Many of you have been very supportive and helpful that words cannot express the deep appreciation.  Ray hopes to see you all at a racetrack soon, so he can thank you all in person.

Ray heads to home state for this weekend's "Knoxville Midget Nationals" in Iowa

5.28.09 –Indianapolis, IN

Davey Ray of Davenport, IA will be traveling to his home state this weekend to compete with the USAC National midget series co-sanctioned with the BMARA and POWRi midget series.  Ray will pilot the Kenny Love Spike/Mopar No. 71x machine on the ½ -mile dirt oval for “Induction Weekend” at Knoxville Raceway.

The Pepsi “King Doodlebug Classic” kicks off Friday night’s events at Knoxville, with the Pepsi “Knoxville Midget Nationals” finale scheduled on Saturday.  Ray has finished in the top 5 at this event three different times, with three different car owners.  Driving for Harlin Kittleson in 2002 with a Beast/Stanton Mopar, Ray finished 4th.  In 2004, Ray drove the Wilke-PAK No. 11 Stealth/Stanton Mopar to a 2nd place finish, and in 2007 he took 3rd place driving the Nine Racing Spike/Toyota entry.  Ray posted 2nd quick time last year at Knoxville Raceway before blowing an engine in the Mecum Racing No. 33 entry, ending his efforts to compete for the win in 2008.

 With a little racing luck, and the help of his team and crew, Ray hopes to finish on top this weekend, and continue his success at the Knoxville Raceway.  For more information, please visit, www.knoxvilleraceway.com, www.usacracing.com   

Defending Champ can't cut a break at Riverview Speedway

1.26.09

Davey Ray was haunted by mechanical issues at Riverview Speedway while trying to defend his title as the 2008 Australian Speedcar Champion.  Night one at Riverview Speedway was a prelim night of heat races to earn points for a starting position in the main event on Saturday.  Ray pushed off for his first heat but was forced to pull into the infield as his car came to a stop.  The team worked feverishly to get Ray ready for his second heat, but Ray would again retire from the event.  Ray pushed off for his third and final heat race only to be sidelined again which ended his night.
As he sat in the infield watching the remaining laps of his 3rd heat race, Ray stated in sheer frustration, “I came here to win.  I never go anywhere to make up numbers.  I expected success."

Ray was guaranteed a position in the Championship race as last year's Champion, but would have to start at the rear of the field.  Ray would have his work cut out for him with his USA teammates all starting in the front rows of the 40 lap event.  Ray ran the high side and found himself in 7th place with just 4 laps to go.  With only two laps to go, Ray’s car again suffered problems causing him to drop out of the race.  The entire team was disappointed but did all they could to stay competitive.  They are now looking forward to the next events scheduled in New Zealand.

Oklahoma to Overseas; Ray is a traveling man

1.22.09 -Another Chili Bowl Midget Nationals has come and gone.  Ray was off to a good start on his preliminary night, Tuesday January 13th, finishing second in his heat from the sixth starting position.  That finish placed him fifth overall in passing point standings and transferred him to the A-Main qualifying race where he would acquire additional points. 

Ray, however, was forced to run the B-main event in order to transfer to the feature.  He was on his way there, running in third place, when the battery came loose forcing the No. 75r Cruz Pedregon Toyota Spike to drop out of the event.  Ray’s preliminary night had come to an end, but he would have one more chance on Saturday to make it into the 50 lap main event.

Ray was placed into a G-main event on Saturday where he started in the 8th position and battled his way to a transfer spot into the F-main.  Ray started the event from the 16th position and to much delight of race fans, Ray climbed to 2nd by the end of the 10 lap race.  Ray moved himself into the next race in true Ray fashion and had the fans on their feet. 

In the E-main event, the competition was tougher and Ray ran out of laps as he crossed the finish line just two positions short of transferring to the next race.  It was a great effort for both Ray and the entire team.

Ray headed back home to Rockford, IL for just one day, and then was off to the airport to head overseas for his next racing adventure.  He will compete for the Australian Title on Saturday and Sunday January 24th-25th (Friday and Saturday January 23rd-24th U.S.A.) at Riverview Speedway in Murray Bridge, Australia driving for Mark DeRosa. 

After that, Ray will travel over to New Zealand to compete in the International World Series starting on Wednesday January 28th (Tuesday January 27th U.S.A.) at Springs Speedway in Auckland, New Zealand for Round 1 driving for Simon Longdill.  Round 2 will be held on Saturday January 31st (Friday January 30th U.S.A.), Round 3 on Thursday February 5th (Wednesday February 4th U.S.A.), with the Finale on Saturday February 7th (Friday February 6th U.S.A.).  Stay tuned to www.daveyray.com for race results!  

V8 Aggressor Chassis Video

1.22.09

 Check out this link! 
http://tvnz.co.nz/motorsport-news/munros-spirit-in-high-powered-midget-car-2446077/video 
 This is the chassis/motor combo that Davey has driven overseas for the last couple of years.  Simon Longdill (Motor Engineer and Developer), Justin Insley (Aggressor Chassis Designer and Builder), and Davey Ray (USA Driver) are currently in Australia to defend their title from last year.  Ray will then head back to New Zealand to compete.  He will drive for Mark DeRosa in New Zealand with an identical Aggressor chassis and V8 engine.

Davey Ray enters Chili Bowl Nationals for Cruz Pedregon Racing

Jan. 5th, 2009 - Davey Ray of Davenport, Iowa will drive for newly crowned NHRA Funny Car Champion, Cruz Pedregon, in the 23rd Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.  Ray will be behind the wheel of the No. 75r entry equipped with a Spike chassis and Toyota engine. 

Ray triumphed in 2007 at the nationals, claiming the Creek Nation’s Casino preliminary night feature event at the nationals.  He has been a consistent threat for the title as he battled over 200 entries in past years.  Ray has qualified for the event four times and has placed as high as 8th in the Saturday night finale and earned the “Rookie of the Race” award in 2002.  Currently there are over 260 cars entered for the race being held January 13th-17th in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Ray will be joined by teammate, Josh Wise, along with Cruz himself, who is entered in another car for the event.  Each and every driver will bring their best game to the Tulsa Expo Center with the same goal in mind.  This week of action packed racing is stacked with enough excitement to get every open wheel die hard fan through the slow winter months of the off season. 

Ray is also eligible to be voted in by the fans to compete in Tuesday night’s special attraction, the Race of Champions.  Already included in the prestigious race are past event winners Jay Drake, Damion Gardner, Scott Hatton, Tracy Hines, Cory Kruseman, Tim McCreadie and Sammy Swindell along with Kasey Kahne, J.J. Yeley, Jason Leffler and Dave Darland.  Fans can vote for Ray on www.chilibowl.com from January 1st through January 9th.  The pair of drivers accumulating the most votes in the final round will be extended invitations to compete in the Chili Bowl Race of Champions.
Live audio of the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals presented by General Tire will be broadcast on www.RacinBoys.com from inside the QuikTrip Center's Tulsa Expo Raceway. Every race over the entire five-day event, including Saturday night's main event, will be heard flag-to-flag.  Highlights will also be shown on the Speed Channel at a later date. 

For more information, please visit, www.daveyray.com, www.pedregonracing.com, www.chilibowl.com

Ray finishes 4th in first run down under

 11.11.08 by Ray Productions -Davey Ray completed his first race down under this past weekend claiming a 4th place finish in the Magic Man 34 at Perth Motorplex in Australia.  The Mark DeRosa owned Team Aggressor/V8 Synergy entry ran flawlessly on the preliminary night which included qualifying and 2 heat races per car. 

Ray and the team were strong from the start as they set fast time in qualifying with a time of 15.840, missing the track record by only .02 seconds. The success continued into the heats where they claimed victories in both events.  Ray started 7th in the first heat and 8th in his second heat holding nothing back as he soared to the front of both fields.  At the end of the night, the team was leading the point standings over Mark Brown and Dene McAllen.

For Saturday night's finale, the team was scheduled to complete in a final heat race and then the Pole Shuffle which would determine the starting line up for the feature event.  Ray started the final heat race from the 9th position and once again put on a charge to the front.  Ray's heat was described as "sensational" by spectators after they watched him pass five cars going into turn one when the green flag flew and take the lead before the end of the second lap.  Just before the checkered flag flew in the heat race, Ray slowed on the track with mechanical problems.  The team quickly diagnosed the problem as a broken driveline which also damaged the crank triggers.  Knowing they had acquired enough points to make the feature event, the team went to work repairing the severe damage but were unable to start the Pole Shuffle race.  This would force them to start the 34 lap feature event from the 7th position. 

The team worked feverishly and finished the repairs just in time to push off for the feature but because of time, were unable to make any set up adjustments to the chassis.  Ray battled the field and found out quickly that the track had turned dry slick on the surface.  He managed to save enough tire to get to the checkered flag and take the 4th place finish.
 
The team was satisfied with the top 5 finish but are looking to improve as they now prepare for two events in New Zealand.  Please stay tuned to www.daveyray.com for updates!

Ray heads down under for Nation's highest paying Speedcar event
11.05.08 by Ray Productions -Davey Ray, of Davenport, IA, got the call late last week that plans were confirmed for him to make an early trip down under to race this year. Tuesday afternoon, Ray packed up his race suit and helmet and boarded the plane headed over seas to compete in both Australia and New Zealand.

Ray will reunite with the Team Aggressor/V8 Synergy team with the focus being set on winning the Magic Man 34 in vie for the $12,000 to win at Perth Motorplex in Western Australia this Friday night. Last time the team competed at the track they claimed the 2008 Australian Speedcar Championship held earlier this year in January. Normally, Ray leaves for his trip down under after the ChiliBowl Nationals in January, but he is very excited to get the extra seat time while racing is slow in the U.S.

“I’m always happy to have the opportunity to go race with my good friends down under whenever the opportunity is possible. Those guys are all true racers, and they give me some of the best equipment and crew there is,” said Ray.

Ray will again use the combination of an Aggressor chassis and the V8 engine designed by Simon Longdill for the #71usa entry. The team proved to be lethal already as they claimed two victories earlier this year on both Australian and New Zealand turf. As always, they will be holding nothing back for Friday night.

The Magic Man 34 on Friday night is a tribute race for the late great Michael Figliomeni, who was a multi time national Speedcar Champion. Michael passed away at the opening event of the 2006/2007 season after dominating the Speedcar races that evening. As a tribute to Figliomeni an annual race was inaugurated to celebrate not only Figliomeni's life - but also to showcase the division he was so passionate about - the wild and wingless Speedcars. The feature race will be held over a torrid 34 laps in recognition of the famous number 34 Figliomeni carried.

After the Magic Man 34, Ray and the team will travel to New Zealand where they will compete in two events before Ray will return home to the states hopefully in time for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Please check with Davey's website for all the latest results.

For more information, please visit, www.daveyray.com, www.speedway.net.au, www.motorplex.com.au

Ray takes Corn Fest 50

8.18.08 -Davey Ray continued his success Sunday night at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, WI where he won the Corn Fest 50 event driving for John Jones in the No. 41 entry.  The win was the first victory for John Jones and his team, and their excitement showed in victory lane. 

The victory was hard fought as the feature was stalled by a total of four yellows halting tough battles between Ray, Jerry Coons Jr. and Tracy Hines.  Ray, however, never fell out of the top 4 throughout the entire 50 laps and lead laps 3-7 and then 36-50.  Ray stayed strong to take the victory with Mike Hess finishing in 2nd and Brad Kuhn in third.

Earlier in the night, with 24 cars in the pits, Ray turned in a 9th quick qualifying time and finished 2nd in his heat. 

Next race for Davey Ray will be Saturday and Sunday August 23rd-24th at Angell Park Speedway for the USAC/BMARA Hall of Fame Midget Classic events where he will once again be driving for the RFMS midget team.  Ray would like to thank John Jones and his crew for the great opportunity to drive their car.  Congratulations to Davey and the John Jones team on their victory!

For more information, please visit, www.angellpark.com, www.bmara.com.

Ray takes Bloomington's Indiana Midget Week Feature

 8.08.08 USACracing.com

Bloomington, IN…….Davey Ray of Davenport, Iowa led the final 26 laps of Friday night’s 30-lap “Indiana Midget Week” feature to win round two of the 2008 “Indiana Midget Week” championship. Ray passed Brad Sweet on lap five in his Liberty Village/McGladrey & Pullen Spike/Esslinger Ford and was trailed at the checkered flag by Sweet, Cole Whitt, Tracy Hines and Gary Altig. Ray leads the “Indiana Midget Week” points by four over Whitt entering round three Saturday night at Lawrenceburg Speedway. Sweet flipped during qualifying but was able to repair the car and continue in the program.

Davey Ray wins second Australian Speedcar Title

February 23, 2008 Perth, Australia -Davey Ray of Davenport, Iowa, won the Australian SpeedCar Championship in an exciting 40-lap duel that saw Ray start from the 7th row and battled to the front for the win.  Ray took the lead on the last lap and sailed to the checkered flag to become a two-time winner of the event. 

“The most important lap to lead is the last one,” said an excited Ray.  “I want to thank all the people that have helped put this team together for me to race down here.  I’m just so excited to get my second win here.”

The event started with practice on Thursday night where Ray timed in as second quick among competitors.  Driving the No. 68 Aggressor chassis powered by a newly designed V-8 engine by Simon Longdill, Ray was ready for battle. 

In Friday’s preliminary events, Ray won his first heat before suffering driveline problems in the next heat which forced him to miss the third heat.  This put Ray 24th in overall points going into Saturday night’s race.  Ray ran the final preliminary heat on Saturday finishing 2nd which advanced him into the main event.  From the 15th starting position, Ray began making his way through traffic before getting tangled in a mid race accident.  Ray would restart the event from the tail of the 26 car field.  Ray made haste through the fleet before positioning himself for the win on the last lap overtaking Jerry Coons Jr. 

Ray’s last lap moves, made famous in his carting days, never fail to amaze fans.  His first Australian title came in 2006 when he also made the pass for the win on the lap in what was called the most exciting title event ever. 

Ray’s journey down under has turned out to be very successful as the team has scored two victories thus far.  Ray won the opening race for the International Midget World Series event on January 30th at Western Springs Speedway in New Zealand driving the same unique power plant.  As development driver for the new V-8 engine, Ray is very pleased with its performance stating that the machine “is doing all I want it to.”  He is likewise satisfied with the swift Aggressor chassis built by Justin Insley.  The combination is proving to be a great achievement. 

Ray and the team will compete again on March 22nd and 23rd for the United Metals World SpeedCar Spectacular at Murray Bridge Speedway in Australia. 

 More information and pictures can be found at:

www.daveyray.com, www.speedcarworld.com.au, www.speedsportmedia.com.au

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