[2] In 1975, Ray, a trucker by profession, set a world speed record for semi-trailer trucks, 92 miles per hour (148 km/h), at Talladega.
[3] Ray entered the 1976 season planning to compete for Rookie of the Year honors in the Winston Cup Series.
[3] Competing in the 1976 Daytona 500, the second race of the season, Ray crashed on the 112th lap, skidding in oil before being hit by Skip Manning.
[4] While he survived the accident, and competed in some local events in Alabama over the next few years,[5] he never participated in NASCAR competition as a driver again.
[4] Following his recovery, Ray went on to own cars driven by Dale Earnhardt,[6] Johnny Rutherford,[7] and Chuck Bown during the late 1970s;[8] he also owned a team in the 1990s for his son, Kevin Ray, competing on a limited basis in the NASCAR Busch Series and the ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Supercar Series.