Five Car Ray Graham Team Anxious for 2006 Supermodified Season

“We’re looking to have some fun, and can’t wait to get the season started,” six year supermodified veteran Ray Graham said in anticipation of the 2006 season. You can hardly blame Graham for being so itchy to get 2006 started. It’s no secret that Hawk Chassis dominated the 2005 supermodified season, and Ray took delivery of a Hawk just hours before Classic Weekend last year. The team was still putting the finishing touches on the car as the weekend progressed. “We’re hoping to run the full season,” the Iowa resident added. “With the schedule the way it is this year, it’s more manageable for us. We’ll see how the first month goes, and take it from there.”

“Last season was kind of a bummer for us,” Ray continued. “We kept looking forward to getting the new car, and it just wasn’t coming along. Honestly, my heart really wasn’t into last year. This year is 100% different though. We’ve got the new car, we have more help on the crew. Johnny is going to be running a new car, and everyone is ready to get going.” The Johnny he is referring to is Johnny Torrese. Torrese drove the Graham owned 91 last year, and will have a brand new Hawk Chassis under him in 2006. “Matter of fact, we just picked up the chassis. We have the frame, now we just have to assemble everything on it. He’s going to make it as many times as he can this year. As of now, it looks like 5 or 6 shows.”

Fans wonder how the Graham-Torrese combination came together. “We grew up next to each other,” Ray answered. “Our families grew up next door to each other, and our garages are about 100 feet apart. That was great then, and it works now also. That’s where we keep the cars. They both are multiple car garages, and there will be a lot of work done there this summer.” A third car in the Graham fleet of supermodifieds is the old Brian Sweeney car, which Torrese drove last year. “Stephen Gioia will drive that this year,” Ray added. “Steve was looking for something to get Stephen in, and it just seemed to work out. This will get him some seat time, and he’s excited to get on the track. It’s the 91 car from last year, and will also serve as a back up for either myself or John. If either of us needs the car, then we’ll use it. Other than that, Stephen will drive it. I’m guessing he’ll be in it the majority of the shows this year.”

Don’t look for the old Sweeney car to resemble last year’s machine. “It has undergone a lot of changes this year,” Ray said. “It will have a new body, on board suspension, and many other changes. It should be very similar to our cars.” The car Ray drove last year, the C&C Metal car, will be used as a back up, as well as used on the ISMA Tour. “We want to run some ISMA shows this year,” Ray forecasted. “We may hit 5 or 6 shows. We’re looking at the Oswego shows, Sandusky, the Berlin-Canada weekend, and possibly the Stafford midweek show. That’s a good car, and that’s the car we’ll run ISMA with.”

With four current cars, that would be more than plenty for one team to keep busy with. Look for an addition to the stable, possibly mid season. “Joey (Hawksby) is building another one for us. It’s totally different than what he’s all ready built. That’s how you find speed, trying different things. We’ll see which ever car is faster, and go with the faster one. We wont get it until July at the earliest. Then we’ll see just how fast we can get the cars. It would be nice to get all the cars in the Classic,” Ray said looking ahead. “That would be something else. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but that would be something.”

With a multi car team, maintenance is a must in supermodified racing. That looks to be well in hand this year. “We added some guys to the crew. We have some help for my dad this year. Some of Joey’s guys are helping us, and that will help take a load off my dad.” One thing that may keep Ray from the track is another form of motorsports, making its way into the Graham household. “My son Kody is racing motocross,” the proud father boasted. “He runs from April until October, in the quad class on motocross tracks. He’s doing pretty well. He’s 15 years old, and runs in the adult class. At the end of last year, he won 2 of the last 4 races. He’s doing all right.”

Another obstacle he could possibly have, no other driver in the Oswego pits could have is air travel. While almost every driver in the Port City pits is within a quick drive to the pits, Graham can be found hopping flights to get to Oswego. “It’s usually not too bad,” he explained. “I usually take off from Des Moines about 5:45pm Friday, and connect either in Detroit or Chicago, and land in Syracuse about 11pm. We head back out Sunday morning, and really aren’t gone any longer than we were before. When I lived in Hershey, we would drive 5 hours each way. Now with gas as high as it is, and there is no wear and tear on my car, it really isn’t bad.”

Mimi’s Mini Storage, S&S Tractor Supply, Streeter & Van Sanford Insurance, and C&C Metal Fabrications return as the familiar sponsors for the Fulton based team. The crew is headed by Ray’s father Buck, a familiar face in the Oswego pit area. Dennis Rupert, Bill and Al Graham, Sean McPherson, Chris Heagerty, Tim Ryan, and Dave from Mike Brubaker’s team are the dedicated guys that will keep the Graham stable race ready. “It will be nice to get back to Oswego and see every one again,” Ray said. “Race people are some of the best you find anywhere, and it’ll be fun to get back into it again. We’re all excited, and looking forward to this year. Running with guys with Hawk cars, Clyde Booth and Mike Ordway, Doug Heveron, Bentley Warren , Tim Snyder, it will be a really good year at the track. Last year it looked like the crowds were coming back, and we can only hope they get bigger. Steve and Pat are doing great, and we appreciate everything they are doing.”

2006 could be quite a year for Ray Graham and his race team. They have a 4 car fleet, with one more coming this summer. He has childhood friend Johnny Torrese and Steve Gioia III as drivers, and has a full crew behind him. Ray has won the limited supermodified championship and has a handful of limited wins to his credit. He’s knocking on the door for his first supermodified feature win, which could very well come this summer. It’s no wonder 2006 can’t get here soon enough for the personable driver.