Motor Sport Enthusiast Dr. Patrck Sullivan Details the Life of African-American Racing Pioneer Joie Ray in New Book

Dr. Patrick Sullivan

     A picture of Joie Ray sitting in the cockpit of a race car with a beaming smile dominates the cover of Dr. Patrick Sullivan’s new book about the racing pioneer.

     But it’s hardly by chance that hovering behind Ray is a picture of his father, Joseph Ray Sr.

      After all it was the accomplishments by both the African-Americans, one in racing and the other as a business and community leader in Louisville, Ky., that led Sullivan, a professor at the Indiana University School of Social Work, to write the book, “Brick by Brick, The Story of Auto Racing Pioneer Joie Ray.”

     The framework of the book is Joie Ray’s story, who as a young man dreamed of becoming a race car driver. In October 1949, Ray became the first African-American driver to obtain a license from AAA at Indiana’s Salem Speedway after spending the previous two seasons racing at a variety of Midwestern tracks.

      Ray continued to race spring cars and stock cars until retiring from competition in 1963. Ray died last year of a respiratory infection in a Louisville, Ky. hospital at the age of 83.

      Sullivan, who has followed racing closely for years and has written for several racing publications such as Sprint Car and Midget Magazine and National Speed Sport News, had known Ray for a number of years. “Everybody knew him. Everybody like him,” Sullivan said.

      What enticed Sullivan wasn’t just his abilities to succeed in a predominantly white sport. For one thing, Ray’s career was relatively short and unlike some racers who can vividly remember every race they entered, Ray was a terrible historian, Sullivan noted.

     “It was really hard to reconstruct some things with him,” Sullivan recalled. But as Joie’s story emerged, so did the story about his father.

      “Both of these guys were able to make breakthroughs in a white world and they were able to do it working within the system.” By the virtue of their personality they could surmount a lot of obstacles.”

     Ray Jr., who was born in Louisville in 1923, grew up in a town Sullivan describes as a “classic border town between the north and south.” It was a place where “polite racism,” was still every much a part of life.

      Sullivan details the life of Ray’s parents, bringing to life what black professionals faced in the years after World War I. In Ray Sr.’s case, he found a way prosper in banking, insurance and real estate businesses. “He cut a wide swath across the city, touching lives of people of all races, ages and status.”

       While some may assume that auto racing and being a professor of social work don’t go together, Sullivan is living proof they are wrong.

     He became enthralled with auto racing years ago when he decided to go to a race in Tulsa, Okla. Sullivan had wanted to see a baseball game while visiting Tulsa, but the game was cancelled because it was too hot.

      The ½-mile race track was near the ball park and Sullivan decided to watch the race after learning the game was cancelled. Up to this point, he had seen a few auto races and grew up listening to the Indianapolis 500 on the radio.

     But seeing the race in Tulsa changed him from a very casual race fan to a serious one. “Something clicked,” he said of his experience of seeing the race. “It was a packed house. I remember it vividly. I was absolutely captured by the culture of it all. I just loved the whole thing.”

     When he was teaching at what is now Missouri State University, he was approached about writing racing news. A man who owned several race tracks saw the stories and called him up to ask if Sullivan might like to try his hand at announcing races. Sullivan told him he was willing to give it a try.

     Since then Sullivan has had a radio and television show to talk about racing, has announced races across the country, an activity which he continues to this day. “I was really into it,” he acknowledges.

     His early work led to an invitation to come to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he has assisted people like ABC commentator Al Michaels during the Indianapolis 500. In fact it was a chance to live in Indianapolis that influenced his decision to accept a position at Indiana University-Purdue University, at Indianapolis, over several other possible job opportunities at other universities.

     Besides working for the public relations office with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he has a long-time connection with the race track in Bloomington, a track that he continues to announce at and loves. He also announces races at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, where has worked for some 15 years.

     Sullivan’s book is available at www.americanscenepress.com.

     For more information, contact Rob Schneider, Indiana University School of Social Work at 317-278-0303 or at robschn@iupui.edu.