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Raymond Lee Fox, Sr. (May 28, 1916 – June 15, 2014) was an American engine builder, NASCAR car owner and NASCAR engine inspector. His cars won fourteen NASCAR Grand National Series events and sixteen . He was the patriarch of NASCAR mechanics, with his son Raymond Lee Fox Jr and grandson Raymond Lee Fox III also as NASCAR mechanics. Currently, Ray Fox III and his son Justin Fox, a pit athlete, both work with Team Penske. Ray Fox's NASCAR owner's statistics; racing-reference; Retrieved February 20, 2008
He was inducted into numerous halls of fame, including the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Carl Kiekhaefer hired Fox and Herb Thomas in 1956. Fox said "He hired us because we were the only ones who could outrun his cars." Kiekhaefer's cars won 22 of the first 26 races, with drivers Thomas, Buck Baker, Tim Flock, and Speedy Thompson. Fox was named the Mechanic of the Year. Ray Fox ; Oceanside Rotary Club of Daytona Beach Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame; Retrieved February 25, 2008 Fox opened his own engine shop after the season.
Car owner John Masoni approached Fox in 1960 to build a car for the 1960 Daytona 500, which would be driven by Junior Johnson. Fox built the car in seven days. The car was about slower than the Pontiac racecars in practice. While they were trying to figure out how to increase their speed, a Cotton Owens' faster Pontiac racecar passed him. Johnson noticed that when he was able to keep up with Owens' car if he followed closely behind in its slipstream. Johnson followed the Pontiac racecars in the race, pitting when they did. At the end, Bobby Johns had the only Pontiac which was competing for the win. Johnson followed Jack Smith's lapped Pontiac until Johns caught the duo and passed Johnson for the lead with 30 laps left in the race. Johns led the race until his rear window fell out with 10 laps remaining. Johns recovered to finish second, 23 seconds behind Johnson. The practice of "drafting" has become a common tactic among NASCAR drivers on high speed tracks. Rookie David Pearson won three races that season in a Ray Fox-prepared Pontiac.
In 1965, LeeRoy Yarbrough drove a Fox-prepared Dodge Coronet racecar to a new closed-course world speed record at . He set the record on the second lap and he was increasing speed on the third lap when the car began smoking. NASCAR black flagged the car and Yarbrough slowed down. When he arrived in the pits, the pit crew found a bolt in the tire. The bolt easily could have caused a flat tire, which could have been deadly at high speed.
In the late 1960s, Fox bought Holman Moody's shop at the Charlotte airport.
Fox retired in 1972, selling the company to his son Ray Fox, Jr.
Fox was married to Mrs. Patti Fox; she helped him through his NASCAR career. Patti died in 2004. Ray often said "I miss her so much, she was the best thing that happened to me". He died on June 15, 2014, of pneumonia at Daytona Beach, Florida, aged 98.
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