George Ray's isn't a real high tech track. There's a stage light and no pre-stage; it's a four-tenths, pro tree for everyone. The starter has two buttons (arm and go) and you can red light. The winner picker is a spotter in a booth at the end of the track that flips a switch when the first car crosses the finish line. First they see who got to the stripe first and then they check to make sure there isn't a red light or a breakout. There are no dials; you run a class as in the 5.50, 6.0 or 6.50-second class. Everyone leaves on the green and then the winner is determined by the first car to the finish that doesn't run under the class index. 

They have some unique rules. Go red or too quick, you lose; both racers red-light or go too quick on the same lap, both lose. In the final round if both cars red-light, go too quick or a combination of both, no one wins and the prize money is rolled over until the next race.

Many racers don't come into the track until just before eliminations, then they just unload and race. They've made so many laps down the track they don't need any practice! There is plenty of shade, seats closer to the action than any track I've ever been to, concession stand food at reasonable prices and, best of all, three or four generations of racers who love the track and George Ray.

Let me give you an example of how things run at that place. On the Sunday I raced, Steve Wallen Sr. crashed his D/G '34 Ford which has been racing at Ray's track since 1961. It was a pretty dramatic crash as you can see, but no one was hurt except the '34 and after a clean-up they simply went back to racing. Evidently a line to the garage door opener photo cells that run the clocks got cut during the crash and afterwards they only had one lane of timers. Not a problem, they simply raced heads-up for the money, which for the 5.50 class is $250. Not a bad payout for a $7.00 admission ticket and three or four rounds of racing.

The day we were at the track in early October there were about 150 cars and 500-600 spectators lining the fences and parked under the shade trees. The cars are quality—the dragster track record is 4.94 held by Blaine Morgan, and Pee Wee White and Brian Ratliffe share the doorslammer record at 5.01.

According to photographer Charles Jolliff, who was the starter back in the late 1980s and early '90s, they used to have a 2200-lb run-what-ya-brung class. No blowers or turbos, but everything else was on the table.