Bud has been a hands-on racer who managed Speed Warehouse, a distributor of performance equipment in Northern California. In 1993 he flipped his streamliner at high speed on the Bonneville Salt Flats trying to set a record. While he emerged uninjured, it unfortunately signified the end of his professional driving career. In 1991, he received the Pioneer Award from PWA.
Although the educational focus of Ray’s studies at USC were in electrical engineering, his knowledge of things mechanical, and specifically his interest in performance cars, enabled him to serve with efficiency as an associate editor, research editor, technical editor and eventually publisher of Hot Rod magazine. He was with Wally Parks on Daytona Beach in 1957 when Wally drove the “Suddenly” Plymouth project car into the record books. He took hot laps around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the 1967 Camaro that paced the Indy 500. He helped Mickey Thompson set speed records at Bonneville in a modified 1969 Mustang Mach 1. He covered the Pikes Peak Hill Climb more times than we can count. Ray also did Baja racing, Bashes Rally in Australia and other races as well as acted as judge at concours d’ elegance, including Pebble Beach. He was involved with starting the SEMA Show and in helping to form the National Street Rod Association.
He’s “the voice of drag racing,” but there are very few automotive events during which Dave hasn’t been heard as one of the most recognizable voices in all of motorsports, as well as acting as a host and emcee for SEMA, ESPN and the NHRA. Dave has been such a presence in the performance industry that he ranks as one of the few “behind-the-mic” talents whose face is as recognizable as his voice. Away from the microphone, Dave’s motorsports career runs the gamut from track operator to founder of the Super Chevy shows to serving as the NHRA’s director of communications. He has been involved with drag racing since 1955; a racer himself, his dragster is in the NHRA museum. Additionally, he has served on the Board of Directors and as chairman for Racers for Christ, and has been the recipient of the SEMA Industry Icon Award and the Car Craft All Star Drag Racing Team Award, as well as the NHRA Good Hand Award, Don Prudhomee Award, Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Association Award and Good Guys Hot Rod Hero.
Angelo is regarded as a “mover and shaker” in the field of motorsports. A longtime member of the staff at Ford in its Special Vehicle Operations, Angelo has had an extensive history of involvement in the specialty automotive market. He has also owned his own speed shop in Detroit.
