Joie Ray was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1923. His father Joseph Reynolds Ray, Sr. was an Eisenhower appointee at the Housing and Home Finance Agency (now called HUD) in the 1950s in Washington, DC. Before that, the senior Ray worked in Bloomfield, Kentucky as a teacher; and in Louisville as a bank teller who was eventually promoted to vice president of the bank, a president of another bank, and a partner in Ray and Hawes real estate agency. Ray’s mother, Ella Hughes Ray was a schoolteacher whose family inherited 300 acres of farmland in Maud, KY that was rented to white sharecroppers.

Recent Events

* On February 21, 2008, Joie was honored post-humously for his auto racing accomplishments, by the Kentucky Legislative Black Caucus in a Black History Month celebration at the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort, KY.

* On Tuesday night December 19, 2006, Joie was one of three special guests on Don Kay’s “The Budweiser Autosport Show “, which streamed live from McGilvery’s Speedway, 3009 North High School Road, Indianapolis. The other guests were Dave Argabright and Dr. Pat Sullivan. Please contact Mr. Argabright at www.DaveArgabright.com for information on how to purchase the book.

* Joie has appeared on several national television and radio programs and is featured in several books, periodicals and newspaper articles about his racing career. His latest TV appearance was in February 2006, on the SPEED Channel program Black Wheels.

* On February 25, 2005, Joie was a guest on the “Steve Harvey Morning Show” (a radio show). Steve Harvey, Bow Wow, and Da Brat interviewed him by telephone from their location in California. Joie was in Louisville. They discussed Joie’s racing career.

* Joie was among the 33 celebrities honored at the 2003 Indy 500 in pre-race ceremonies. Some other guests honored were boxing legend Muhammed Ali, comedian Ruth Buzzie, TV mom Florence Henderson, actor/singer Jim Nabors, actor George Hamilton, and judge on the popular TV show American Idol, Paula Abdul.