4/22/2025
Ransomville Speedway
Ransomville Speedway to Honor Stevens Family With Memorial Race May 23
RANSOMVILLE, NY (April 22, 2025) The Stevens name is synonymous with racing in Western New York and Southern Ontario. On Friday, May 23, Ransomville Speedway will be honoring and remembering the Stevens family with the running of the Stevens Family Memorial for the Krown Undercoating 358 Modifieds. The race will be a 44-lap, $4,444 to win for the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, and DIRTcar 358 Modified rules will apply. A qualifying spot for the Outlaw 200 at Fulton Speedway will also be up for grabs.
“We are incredibly honored and grateful to Ransomville Speedway for hosting the Stevens Family Memorial Race,” comments Melissa Stevens. “Both Ray and Brian dedicated several decades to Ransomville Speedway, it was truly their home away from home. Friday nights were never just about racing for them; they were about community, passion, and legacy. This event means the world to our family, and on behalf of our family, we are thankful to see their memory celebrated where they gave so much of themselves.”
“We were honored to get the call from Melissa in regard to hosting the Stevens Family Memorial,” commented General Manager Tana Robinson. “Both Ray and Brian are legends here at the Big R and played significant roles in the track’s history.”
“Flyin” Brian Stevens had wins spanning four decades, with his first Ransomville Modified win coming on June 16, 1978, and his final checkered flag at the Big R took place on July 8, 2005. His 25 Modified wins in Ransomville sits him ninth on the track’s all-time wins list. With a career spanning over 40 years, Stevens scored nearly 150 career checkered flags at tracks across the region, as well as racing against the best in the business in the 80’s and 90’s in Central New York, including making numerous starts on the Syracuse Mile. “Flyin” Brian passed away in February of 2015, after a courageous battle with cancer. Brian was a 2009 Friends of Auto Racing (FOAR SCORE) Fan Club Hall of Fame inductee.
After an accident that cut his driving career short in 1955, Ray Stevens became one of the top car owners in all of DIRT racing. The list of drivers that drove for Ray include Jimmy Jenkins, Tom Cook, Ted Renshaw, Lloyd Holt, Stan Friesen, Hugh Tripp, Mike Granton, and Davey Moore. When son Brian began driving, the father and son duo found success, with Brian winning two Merrittville Speedway track titles in 1982, and 1992. Ray passed away in August of 2011.
Ray was the 1993 recipient of the Leonard J Sammons Jr Award for Outstanding Contribution to Auto Racing at the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame, a 1993 inductee into the Friends of Auto Racing (FOAR SCORE) Hall of Fame and was also inducted into the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Longtime family friend and crew member Ray Samuel fondly remembers his time with Ray and Brian. "The Stevens family is responsible for all of my personal racing accomplishments. They took me under their wing in 1983 and I was fortunate to learn from Legends like Ray and Brian. Ray was the Grandpa I never had, and Brian was like my big brother. There isn't a day at the race shop or at a track that I don't think of them. I cherish my wins and championships with them so much. I'm winning championships and races with four amazing teams today. But it would not have been possible for me without Ray or Brian!!! They taught me so much and they were the greatest of times"
Wendt’s Propane and Oil along with S&W Service Centre have joined forces to aid in making the winners take $4,444. We are actively seeking additional sponsors to help increase second on back. Reach out to Melissa Stevens or Tana Robinson to help sponsor this memorial event. Sponsorship contributions of all levels will go directly into the Modified purse. The race will also reward a driver with a qualifying spot for the Outlaw 200 held at the Fulton Speedway October 3 and 4th.
The Friday, May 23 racing program will also feature a full card of Stirling Lubricants DIRTcar Sportsman, KiPo Chevrolet Street Stocks, Sunflowers of Sanborn Mini Stocks, and the Kevin’s Carpet Cleaning Novice Sportsman. Pit gates will open at 5pm, with grandstands opening at 6pm, and racing will get underway at 7:15pm.
For more information, follow us on social media, call the speedway office at (716) 791-3602, and check the website at www.ransomvillespeedway.com
Article Credit: Steven Petty
Submitted By: Steven Petty