Ray Crawford

Raymond Earl Crawford (26 October 1915 - 1 February 1996) was an American racing driver who competed in five Indianapolis 500 races between 1955 and 1959, with four of those appearances counting toward the Formula One World Championship during the era when the Indianapolis 500 was included as a round of the World Championship from 1950-1960, but whose remarkable life story extended far beyond motorsport to include distinguished service as a U.S. Army Air Corps fighter ace during World War II, a successful business career, and achievements in various forms of motorsport competition, earning him the colorful nickname 'The Flying Grocer' that reflected both his military aviation background and his family's supermarket business.

Born in Roswell, New Mexico, Crawford grew up during the 1920s and 1930s, and after completing his education, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps as the United States prepared for World War II, receiving training as a fighter pilot and eventually being assigned to fly the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, the distinctive twin-boom fighter aircraft that would become one of America's most successful combat aircraft. Crawford served with the 97th Fighter Squadron in North Africa during 1943, flying combat missions over the Mediterranean theater during the critical campaigns that drove German and Italian forces from North Africa, and he distinguished himself in aerial combat by shooting down six enemy aircraft (confirmed destroyed) and one probably destroyed, making him tied as the top-ranking fighter ace of the 97th Fighter Squadron, an achievement that earned him significant military decorations and the respect of his fellow pilots.

After the war, Crawford returned to civilian life in California, where his family owned a successful supermarket chain based in El Monte, California, and he became involved in the family business while simultaneously pursuing his passion for motorsport, leading to his memorable nickname 'The Flying Grocer'—a reference to both his military flying career and his family's grocery business. In 1954, Crawford demonstrated his versatility as a racing driver by winning the stock car class of the legendary Carrera Panamericana, the grueling nine-stage, five-day race across Mexico that attracted competitors from around the world, and he achieved this victory driving a Lincoln, demonstrating his ability to handle powerful American production-based cars in extreme endurance conditions.

At the 1955 12 Hours of Sebring, one of America's most prestigious sports car endurance races, Crawford drove a Lincoln-Kurtis sports car and completed the entire 12-hour race without a co-driver—making him the only driver in the race's history to complete the event without relief of any kind—and he finished thirteenth overall, an extraordinary achievement of physical endurance and concentration that demonstrated his toughness and stamina. Crawford began competing in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series during the mid-1950s, making nine career starts between 1954 and 1959, and his participation in the Indianapolis 500 during this period meant that he was officially classified as competing in Formula One World Championship races, though he never drove a Grand Prix car or competed on a European road circuit.

Crawford competed in five Indianapolis 500 races between 1955 and 1959, and while he never seriously challenged for victory or achieved a top-ten finish at the Brickyard, his participation in America's greatest race demonstrated his competence in oval racing and his willingness to compete against the best drivers in American motorsport. His Indianapolis 500 career came to a premature and violent end at the 1959 race when he suffered serious injuries in a crash that curtailed his driving career, and the severity of his injuries meant that he was unable to continue competing at the highest levels of motorsport, though he had already achieved considerable success across multiple disciplines including fighter pilot, Carrera Panamericana winner, Sebring endurance driver, and Indianapolis 500 competitor.

After his racing career ended due to his 1959 Indianapolis injuries, Crawford returned to his family's supermarket business in California and remained involved in the automotive and aviation communities, though he gradually stepped back from public life as he aged. In his later years, Crawford suffered from Alzheimer's disease, the degenerative neurological condition that gradually robbed him of his memories and cognitive abilities, and he died in Los Angeles, California, on 1 February 1996 at age 80, passing away more than three decades after his racing career had ended. In 2015, author Andrew Layton published a biography of Crawford titled 'Ray Crawford - Speed Merchant,' bringing Crawford's remarkable life story to a new generation and ensuring that his achievements as a fighter ace, racing driver, and businessman would not be forgotten.

Ray Crawford's legacy extends far beyond his five Indianapolis 500 starts and his technical classification as a Formula One driver—his life represents the generation of American men who served with distinction in World War II, returned home to build successful civilian careers and businesses, and who competed in motorsport not as professionals seeking fortune but as wealthy sportsmen pursuing their passion for speed and competition, embodying the spirit of the gentleman racer who competed for glory rather than financial reward. His achievement as a fighter ace—shooting down six enemy aircraft and becoming the top ace of his squadron—is itself significant enough to ensure his place in military aviation history, and when combined with his motorsport achievements including winning the Carrera Panamericana and competing solo for twelve hours at Sebring, Crawford's story becomes one of remarkable versatility, courage, and determination across multiple dangerous pursuits.

The fact that Crawford is officially classified as a Formula One driver is a quirk of the Indianapolis 500's inclusion in the World Championship from 1950-1960, but this statistical oddity ensures that his name appears in Formula One record books alongside drivers who never flew combat missions or won the Carrera Panamericana or drove twelve hours straight at Sebring, making Crawford one of the most interesting and accomplished individuals ever to be classified as a Formula One competitor, even if his actual racing experience bore no resemblance to Grand Prix racing on European circuits.