"Stevens Wins Feature"
Ray Stevens Tribute at Merrittville Speedway
Photos By Anita Armenti Photography
This week's Merrittville Memories deals
with someone who most of us recognize as a pioneer car
owner. However, the article from the St. Catharines Standard
dated June 18, tells of the success Ray Stevens achieved on
this date as a race driver, behind the wheel of the #44 1933
Ford Coupe. As you know, Ray is also one of the members on
the Merrittville Speedway Reunion Committee's Wall of Fame.
"Spectacular Crash at Merrittville Races" Tremendous action
highlighted the races at Merrittville Speedway on Saturday
evening as the feature race developed into a two car
scramble with Ray Stevens of St. Catharines, barely edging
out a fellow townsman, Murray Stricker, by a couple offeet
while earlier in the evening the packed stands gazed in
hushed silence as Pete Lorenzo of Niagara Falls, N.Y.,
demolished his car in a spectacular roll-over. Forty cars
were on hand to enter the races and every event produced
ample action for the 2,300 fans.
The Stevens-Stricker battle was waged
after Stevens, leading the field from the sixth lap on, had
Stricker break out of the pack into second spot on the 11th
lap after being in the sixteenth position on the start. The
daylight between the cars was gradually closed until they
started the final lap with Stricker riding Steven's rear
bumper. On the back stretch the former edged even
momentarily but Stevens out-manoeuvred his rival on the
comer for his narrow margin of victory. Lorenzo's crash in
the first semi final stopped the race and resulted in a
flying re-start. The Roartown speedster had his hood come
loose as he entered the straightaway in front of the stands
and suddenly as he reached the first turn his car,
travelling at a tremendous speed, slid sideways and rolled
over a couple of times, seemed to leap high in the air and
come down on its nose and roll end over end. Lorenzo was
uninjured while his car was a complete wreck.
Jerry Winger of Stevensville, Bill Mephan
of Hamilton, John Bezanson of Hamilton and Jeno Begolo of
St. Catharines won the various heats. The semifinals were
captured by Don Ledingham of WeIland and Ray Stevens. In the
consolation event a North Tonawanda driver, Jim Hurtubise,
scored a popular victory. Five Buffalo area cars were in
Saturday night's action and they intimated that later this
month they would be accustomed to the track and capable of
stopping the winning streak of the local drivers.
Postscript; This Feature was won by Ray
Stevens, the driver, on June 18,1955, just a short time
before his accident, but Ray Stevens the "Car owner", would
start a new career mentoring deserving drivers & new local
talent for decades to come.
Ray started out with his close friend
Bruce Swartz #127, then in 1953 Ray started out driving the
old #127, now #44. The two drivers travelled the local
circuit, flat towing from Aylmer, Ancaster, to Merrittville,
weekly competing & learning the new sport of stock car
racing in Niagara.
It was during this time that my father
Ken Kavanagh would help his friend, Bruce Swartz, & then
learned from him that Merrittville Speedway was for sale.
Little did we know, as a family, how that would change the
rest of our lives, that was back in the fall of 1955. We all
know that 1955 was a fateful year for Ray Stevens, but it
opened a new chapter for the rest of his life as a
car-owner, & through the decades, he mentored & gave a
chance to many deserving drivers, both rookies & veterans
alike.
The list is long, but here is a sample,
Jimmy Jenkins, Dave Halliwell, Tommy Cook, Ted Renshaw,
Lloyd Holt, Hugh Tripp, Mike Granton, Davey Moore, Stan
Friesen, Harry Sittler, Brian Stevens, Martin Polhill, &
Larry Lampman Jr.. Ray Stevens became a teacher & while
fielding very competitive race cars, he became extremely
observant of what his drivers & cars were doing on the
track.
From the 1970's to the present Ray's star
pupil became his son, Brian. After spending many seasons
with Brian & I watching the features from the grandstand, he
tried his hand at driving a street-stock #14s. After serving
an apprenticeship, he moved up to the Gremlin style
modifieds. There was the 14s of Brian Stevens & also Harry
Sittler, campaigning at Merrittville & other tracks on the
new DIRT circuit, under the Stevens racing banner. During
the 1980's the Flyin' Brian Stevens racing team was gaining
momentum at area race tracks with help from Ray & a loyal
crew, solid sponsorship from Groff Tire &Bryant Irvine at
York Electro plating, the blue #44A,(Amanda), won
Merrittville's Championship in 1982. (Ray finally relented &
let Brian carry his number.)
Stevens family racing team, was a top
contender at area race tracks, against Davey Moore, Peter
Bicknell, Harvey Hainer jr. & Jim Begolo as up &coming
competitors versus the veteran's Ivan Little, Don Turner &
Harry Sittler, during the mid 1980's. Ray Steven's, always
the tough task master, assembled a new Bicknell car, the #4
bright orange modified & again the team was rewarded with a
Merrittville points Championship in 1992.
From that last Championship, to the
present day, there was one constant in Ray's life, the love
for his Grandchildren & the passion that he held for dirt
track racing, at it's top level. Ray Stevens went from being
a young race driver, to a veteran "Professor" of the sport,
who motivated anyone who would listen & earned the respect
of everyone on both sides of the track.
In planning special events for the 60th
season at Merrittville, we all knew that Ray was not in the
pits & hoped he would be able to join us on July 16/11 for
the Reunion. August 13/2011 ended up being an emotional
evening for all of us & after speaking first with long time
crewman, Dan Wurster, seeing Harry Sittler, & finally
visiting with my oid friend Brian, it was as if Ray was
directing the evening.
Everyone assembled, one last time, out of
respect to have the #44 Modified lead the pack, piloted by
son, Brian, crewed by his loyal "Flyin "Brian guys with
friends & family watching" I truly believe, that this is how
Ray Stevens wanted to be remembered, a good race driver, a
good father & tough task-master, a good Grandfather & a
"Professor" of the sport, whose life was dirt track racing,
especially at Merrittville Speedway.
When you say the name Ray Stevens, three
words come to mind, Commitment, Champion, & Respect.
Sincerely Rick Kavanagh