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 Midget (from ''midge'', a tiny biting insect) is a term for a person of unusually short stature that is considered by some to be pejorative due to its etymology. While not a Medical terminology, medical term like ''dwarf'' (for a person with d ...

racer. From 1951 to 1959 Brown recorded 43 victories at the Orange County Fair Speedway and claimed three track championships.

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 Nazareth Speedway was an auto racing facility in Lower Nazareth Township, Pennsylvania, Lower Nazareth Township in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, which operated from 1910 to 2004. The racing facility operated in two distinct co ...

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 Riverside Park Speedway was a 1/4-mile oval paved race track, located at the present site of Six Flags New England in Agawam, Massachusetts, one mile north of the Massachusetts–Connecticut state line. To capitalize on the nation's new attract ...

MA. Following the 1959 season, Brown sold off everything to sign on as a Midget racer with the

American Racing Drivers Club The American Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) is an open-wheel midget car racing sanctioning body that operates primarily in the Mid-Atlantic area of the United States. History The American Racing Drivers Club was organized in 1939, making it one of the ...

, winning 7 of his first 9 at

Williams Grove Speedway Williams Grove Speedway is a half-mile dirt racing track located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, United States. The speedway opened on May 21, 1939, it has been owned by the Hughes family for over 50 years and has hosted many of the most notabl ...

PA, as well as events at Old Bridge Stadium, Reading Fairgrounds Speedway PA, and Victory/Orange County Fair Speedway. 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

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Ray 1923 births 1989 deaths Racing drivers from New York (state) Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame