Wray Fisher's Page

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Before we get into Wray's background with GOTRA, check out this picture of Wray and Dennis Snedeger after Dennis drove Wray's car to victory at the 2003 Vintage Reunion in Webster City Iowa.

Wray is a  GOTRA member from Bluesprings, Missouri (the K.C. area) and a great guy.  He made the long drive to Fremont for our 2001 rules meeting.  Wray raced these coupes many moons ago in California.  Watch for updates!!

In Wray's words, 'A little about the pictures. The old orange plymouth was my first race car. A guy by the name of Carol Hanshew drove it for me. I did have a number, 87A. We raced it at Pataluma, Calif. in 1964'....

'The orange 85 car was my second car. Duane Brookins drove that car at Vallejo Speedway in 1966'....

'The #86 car was my third car and the driver was Ken McCoy. It was also ran at Vallejo Speedway. 

Paul Stornetta drove for me from 1967 to 1972. We done really well those years. Thanks again for what you are doing. 

No.. No... Thank you Wray and the guys like you that built and raced these old cars in the Good Ol' Days!!

Well, as Wray promised, he did provide build pictures of his new GOTRA car.  I'll use Wray's words wherever possible.

Wray's car was built by Wray Fisher, Jim Mabbot, Norse Hoskins, Dan Fisher and David Johnson at Wray's shop in Stover, Missouri.

"Building this race car is a dream come true for my son Dan and me.  When I quit building race cars back in the early 70's, Dan was only nine years old. He would tell his friends, "Some day I'm going to drive my Dad's race car".  Well, I quit building cars and he never did get to drive one of my cars.  Last September (2000), he attended a Vallejo Speedway reunion in northern California and the talk was, the modified hardtops were going to race again.  I found out about GOTRA and started looking for a car.

We started with a 1947 Ford coupe and a 1940 Ford frame.  The body was found in a field at the Lake of the Ozarks outside Stove, Missouri.  A friend of mine, Gilbert Angell talked to the people that owned it and they said, "Take it out of here".  THANKS GILBERT!  The frame was given to me by a dear friend, John Cannon.  John has since passed away but his son, John Jr., pulled it out of the woods for me at his house in Wyandotte Co., Kansas.  THANKS JOHN!  I hauled the frame from John's house to by shop on a small utility trailer.  That was late February, 2001.  The body was picked up in mid-December.  (Photo #1) Gerald Schroeder of Bear's Auto Repair, Sedalis, Mo. (sponsor) Carl Ashby and I (Wray Fisher).  We hauled it out of the field to my shop where it sat until March.  On March 3rd, the body was moved into my shop and the hard work started.  (Photo #1A) From left to right, Randy Fisher of Home Maintenance and Remodeling (Sponsor), Jim Mabbott and the "old man" Wray Fisher.  You can look at all the pictures and see the hard work.

The engine was built by Warpony Racing Team, Dan Fisher and David Johnson of Vacaville, California.  The engine was built in Vacaville and shipped to Kansas City by truck.  It is a Chevy 327.  Dan and Dave came out from california to install the engine and help get the car ready for the first race in Columbus, Ne. on May 27, 2001.  We didn't make it, too many things to do.  It is ready now.  Dan Fisher would have been the driver if we had made the first race and Dave Johnson the  chief mechanic.  

I want to thanks all my sponsors, without them I could not have built the car.  PINKY'S AUTO SALVAGE, Sedalia, Mo., HOME MAINTENANCE AND REMODELING,  Cole Camp, Mo., SPEEDSTERS OF Oak Grove, Mo.,  and WARPONY RACING TEAM, Vacaville, California.  Thanks Dan for taking the time to put this on the internet".

I forgot to thank my wonderful wife Louise, for being so  
understanding with me while I was building the race car. ( Thanks Honey ) I  
must have forgotten my other sponsor, Bears Auto Repair of Sedalia, Mo. 

Thanks 

  Wray Fisher