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The Oswego Speedway racing community is mourning the death on Thursday of legendary supermodified driver, car builder, and owner Fred Graves at age 71.
“We are saddened to learn of the passing of Fred Graves, one of the all-time great drivers, car owners, and an individual who dedicated much of his life to Oswego Speedway,” said track owner John Torrese. “His legacy will be carried on for many years to come and we extend our warmest thoughts to the Graves family and their friends at this difficult time.”
Graves, a mechanical engineer from Mexico, first made his mark on Oswego back in 1968, wheeling a car built and designed by himself and his brother Ron. Graves finished 11th in one of his first events with his family-owned No. 92.
In 1970 he debuted what would be the Bill Marsh-owned red and blue No. 39. Graves drove that car from 1970-72. He drove to his first of nine Oswego victories on July 17, 1971 before returning to victory lane once more with the same car on May 27, 1972.
A year later, Graves set out on a venture to purchase a former Mario Andretti rear-engine car. He did so successfully and the Graves team got to work in enough time to debut it during the 1973 season at Oswego with Harry Brandt serving as co-owner. He managed five top-five finishes with the car.
In 1975 Graves debuted his new No. 38 roadster. On June 21, he went to victory lane with that car and on the same night, he revealed one of the most famous supermodifieds in history, practicing the Hite-built four-wheel drive rear-engine supermodified for the first time. On Aug. 16, 1975, Graves became the first driver in speedway history to win with a front- and rear-engine car. He started 14th and drove to victory in the first ever race for Hite’s masterpiece. Graves won the pole for the 1975 International Classic, but bowed out of the race early with gear issues.
Graves won six features in 1976. He again won the pole position for the 1976 Classic, breaking his own track record with a lap time of 18.228 seconds. He battled with the leaders before dropping out of the race with mechanical issues on lap 165.
The four-wheel drive car was banned from competition at Oswego at the conclusion of the 1976 season.
Hite and Graves built another car for 1977, a “switch” car that had both two-wheel and four-wheel drive. The car finished inside the top 15 just once. In 1978, Graves drove the offset CAM2 Oil 38 car. His best finish was only a 12th that season after battling frequent mechanical issues.
He was back at the track in 1979, this time as a crew chief for Bentley Warren. The 1980 season saw Graves’ last appearance at the track as a driver. He drove the Shampine/Doug Heveron No. 01. Around that time, the first Graves Chassis debuted, built by Fred and his brother Ron. By the mid-1980s, business was booming for the Mexico brothers as batches of Graves Chassis were distributed to Oswego and ISMA drivers. Many still compete today, and can be credited with dozens of Oswego victories.
He later made a name for himself in NASCAR, winning the 1998 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship as a crew chief for Ron Hornaday. Graves stayed in North Carolina, working in the engineering department for Dale Earnhardt, Inc for a handful of seasons.
In recent years, Graves spent his time living in Vienna, Austria, where he worked in vineyards and wineries.
. . . from Oswego County News Now
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