Ray Pixley

1907 – 1936

Several thousand people watched as Ray Pixley in the #44 Jeter Hisso led this group of cars during the first heat race at Roby Speedway at Hammond, Indiana on August 30, 1936.  By lap eight of the ten-lap race, he had fallen to sixth place in the ten car field when his car hooked a white tire marker on the inside of the track, skidded into a turn and out across the racetrack, the tires dug into the track’s dirt surface; the car overturned three times landing on top of Pixley and fatally injured him.

Pictured left to right are:  Billy Winn, Ray Pixley, George Connors, Chet Gardner, and Jimmy Snyder who was driving the #35 Howe Hisso.  Connors spun his car into the infield to avoid Pixley’s crashing mount while Snyder’s car glanced off the demolished Hisso.  Both Snyder and Connors were able to restart the event.  Winn won this race in 7:29.3 while Gardner finished in second place - Jerry Kalwasinski collection

to see photos of the #44 Jeter Hisso after Pixley’s fatal crash